The Faculty 2: The Last Invasion
by MollyMega
Summary: Chapter Twenty Three live! A new twist to the story with a new character.
1. Wimp Gone Insane

The Faculty II: The Last Invasion  
  
Wimp Gone Insane  
  
"Hey Casey, look out, there's an alien behind you!" Gabe Smith sneered at the passing boy, wrapping an arm tightly across his girlfriend's shoulders with a smirk. Casey glanced up slightly, trying to ignore the girl in the football captain's arms. Her thick brown hair blowing in the winds, picture perfect face forming a cruel laugh at the boy. 'Delilah how could you?' Casey thought bitterly to himself, shuffling by the two quickly, doing his best to ignore them.  
  
The catcalls continued, other students mockingly screaming about aliens and UFOs. "I never said anything about UFOs," he growled under his breath, cheeks burning with shame. He stole a quick look up, scanning for a familiar friendly face to talk to, to escape the taunting. There. Stokely leaned against the building glaring at the world around her. Her hard face broke into a friendly smile as Casey made his way towards her as quickly as possible, the laughter trailing after him.  
  
"Hey Case, are you okay? Just ignore those imbeciles, they don't know what they're talking about," she said with another glare towards the crowd of students. The boy shrugged half-heartedly, his eyes trained on the girl in Gabe's arms. Stokely followed his gaze and sighed, "Still obsessing over that bitch? Get over her Casey! Why you'd want a brat like her is beyond me." She rolled his eyes, doing a quick scan of the faces before returning her attention to Casey.  
  
"Was it real?" He asked lowly, barely above a whisper. His two blue orbs unfocused, carrying confusion in them. The girl frowned, "Was what real?"  
  
"Everything. The aliens, the parasites, everything! Stokely, people think we're crazy, they think we made it up! No one believes there were aliens, why can't they remember any of it?"  
  
A sad smile passed over her face as she placed a hand on his shoulder, calling his attention up to her face, "I don't know. It's weird, yeah, but aliens' invading your school is weird to. No one really remembers those two days of hell, because they weren't actually in control of their bodies. People don't like being told that there are more powerful beings out there, they want to be all powerful." She shrugged, and forced a smile, "Don't sweat about it, Casey. Who cares what they say? We know it happened, we know it's real."  
  
He nodded uncertainly, "Yeah, I guess." His eyes traveled back to Delilah, filling with the same lonely look he carried lately. She eyed him, opening her mouth to say something when her face lit up at the sight of Stan. The ex-football captain moved through the crowd easily, no one dared make a crack about aliens to his face. Whispers followed him, but he ignored them and greeted Stokely with a kiss. When they parted, Stan threw an arm over her shoulder, glancing down at Casey worriedly. "He alright?" He whispered into her ear, getting a shrug in reply.  
  
The bell rung then, signaling for the students to head towards their homerooms. The crowd pushed forward into the building, but Casey hung back, the same sad, distant look in his eyes. In his mind, he replayed Delilah dumping him over and over again, tormenting himself. They had gone out three months, twelve days, and ten hours before Delilah grew sick of him.  
  
"Listen, Casey, it's been great, really. But, the head cheerleader just can't date some geeky kid who makes up stories about aliens. It makes a bad image for me, you understand, right?" Delilah said in a rush, her eyes flitting around nervously, checking to see who was watching. Casey's jaw dropped as he stared at her, shocked and confused, "What! Delilah!"  
  
"Could you keep it down?"  
  
"No! What do you mean 'make up stories'? I didn't make them up, you were there! You remember!" He flailed his hands aimlessly, ignoring Delilah's attempts to calm and shush him. She sighed, beginning to grow angry, and grabbed his shoulders so their eyes locked. "No one believes us, I mean you. No one remembers having wormy aliens being shoved into their brains, and no evidence was found. People are starting to think we're insane! Maybe it wasn't real; maybe it was just some bogus thing. All I know is, I don't want to be called crazy."  
  
"B-b-but, Delilah! Stokely, Stan, Zeke, they were all there! They remember it all, it has to be real! And the faculty, some of them are missing, can you explain that?"  
  
"Look at their jobs, maybe they just got sick of them and left. Who actually cares? We have new teachers, it doesn't matter."  
  
"And Mary Beth? She's gone to, why? Because she was the alien!"  
  
"Casey! Stop making a scene! She just got transferred. It's over, okay? No aliens attacked, you aren't some wimp turned hero. You're just a wimp gone insane, and somehow managed to convince a couple of other freaks to believe your story." She snapped, twirling on her heel, her long hair slapping into his face as she strode off leaving him standing there, numbly staring after her.  
  
"Hey Casey, man! What are you doing standing out here? Damn, are you high? You look like it." The boy was wrenched from his thoughts as he was lightly shaken, brought back to the present time with a few uncertain blinks. "Oh, hey Zeke. No, not high, just." He trailed off, glancing around the empty school grounds, "Where is everyone?"  
  
"Inside, school's started. You sure you aren't high?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm sure. Let's go." He picked up his bag, swinging it over his shoulder and followed Zeke into school.  
  
A/N: First off, pretty please review! If you like it at all, please let me know. This story is going to follow the movie as best as possible, but there are a few scenes that I can't really incorporate into my plot. (This will make sense later, I swear) Hope you enjoy it! 


	2. Seeing Stars

The Last Invasion  
  
Seeing Stars  
  
An eagerly anticipated extended weekend had finally arrived, much to the enjoyment of the students. Casey exited the school happily, ignored by the teens busily planning how to spend their extra free time. The boy could have cared less how to spend his weekend, even though he knew it would be spent with his uncle as his parents left town, as long as he could escape the taunting and tormenting he usually faced at the end of the day. His sharp blue eyes focused on Delilah, surrounded by the rest of her squad, giving out last minute instructions before the night's game.  
  
He sighed longingly, recalling the few months they had been together as he hopped down the last few steps. His feet hit the ground only to be knocked over by a large arm reaching out and slamming into his chest. He immediately broke into a fit of gasping coughs, desperately regaining the air that has been knocked from his lungs. Slowly, hesitantly, Casey lifted his gaze, not surprised to see Gabe glowering over him.  
  
"Hey punk, you looking at my girl?" Gabe growled, wrapping a large fist around Casey's shirt, yanking him up so they were at eye level. The smaller of the two returned the glare, "You mean the bitchy one?" He regretted the words the moment they left his mouth, tensing his body as he waited for the first blow to fall. Gabe's fist was stopped by another's hand reaching out to grab his wrist firmly. "Hey, dude, lighten up."  
  
Both Gabe and Casey looked to see Zeke standing there, giving them the half smirk he often wore. The football captain dropped Casey none to lightly, turning his glare to his fellow player. "You want to take me, Zeke?" He snarled, taking a threatening step towards him. Casey scrambled up, brushing his knees off, looking between the two glaring boys, as was the rest of the students in the schoolyard.  
  
Zeke sighed loudly, rolling his eyes, "Gabe, man, get real. I just want you to lighten up; I mean, really, take a look at your girl. Does she not scream grade A bitch?" Casey stared at Zeke in shock, so did most of the student body, immediately focusing on Gabe and his reply. Gabe's dark eyes scanned the faces, settling on Delilah's momentarily before returning to Zeke. The head cheerleader frowned, placing an impatient hand on her hip, turning the full wrath of her glare onto Zeke. Gabe's hand curled into a fist, a sudden silence fell over the yard, as he raised his arm and suddenly dropped it heavily upon Zeke's shoulder while chuckling, "You know, you're right. Sometimes, she can be one."  
  
The other students returned to their previous conversations, bored by the fact that no fight had ensued. Zeke and Gabe laughed for several moments, watching the said bitch storm off in a rage towards the parking lot. Casey released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, grabbing his dropped bag and swinging it over a shoulder when he once again felt Gabe's hand on his forearm. The grip tightened painfully, dragging him around face- to-face with the unhappy captain, "If I ever hear you call her any name again, you won't be so lucky to have your insane friends around. Next time, I'll make sure you never have kids, got it?"  
  
Casey swallowed, his eyes drifting towards the flagpole and back to Gabe, "Yeah, I get it."  
  
"Good," Gabe released him with a shove and a warning stare before stalking off after his girlfriend. Zeke looked at Casey from the corner of his eye with the slightest hint of a grin, "You sure get into a lot of shit." The blue-eyed boy sighed loudly, watching the spot where the football player had wandered off, "No shit."  
  
- - - - -  
  
IWantToBelieve: Saturn is really bright tonight, so is the moon  
  
Case: I can't find it, even with my telescope  
  
StarSearcher: It's near Mars, just a little to the left and up. See it?  
  
Case: Brb, I'm going to check  
  
Casey twirled in his chair away from the computer to his telescope, squinting into it. The moon was round and full, a spotlight with a backdrop of sparkling stars. Mars wasn't to far from it, the star with a tint of red to it. And, according to his chat room buddies, Saturn should be close be. Ah-ha, there it was, as bright as a headlight, dimming the other stars around it. "Is that where you came from?" He whispered to no one, moving the telescope back to Mars, "Or there?"  
  
He sighed, leaning back in his chair to stare at the sky with his plain eyes. His thoughts drifted back to the day he cowered in the locker room, unbearably dizzy and terrified, having seen Zeke go sailing over the lockers. The queen alien, he still thought of her as Mary Beth, had told him about her planet, how it was nearly all water, a blue expanse as far as the eye could see. Of course, she had then tried to talk him into becoming one of her mindless slaves, controlled by one of her parasites.  
  
Casey shuttered at the memory, putting his back to the stars and facing the computer. A few others had joined the chat room; he recognized most of them, as most of them recognized him from the Time magazine atricle. The majority of the people in the chat room were crazy folks, talking about aliens, witches and monsters that lived under their beds. An ironic smile crossed the boy's features, more and more he had been called crazy at school, teased and taunted for his story of aliens. One can only be called crazy so many times before they begin to question their sanity.  
  
But there were others that believed him, that told the same story he did. Stan, Stokely, Zeke, and at one point, Delilah, had all claimed that aliens had taken over the school and the rag-tag group had stopped the invaders. There were also some Internet buddies he had begun to correspond with that completely believed him, and were now on a desperate quest to find proof.  
  
The boy's fingers hovered over the keyboard, about to let the room know he had found Saturn, when he heard footsteps on the stairs. His father's footsteps by the sound of it, about to check up on his progress. Casey cast an eye on his bed where to large suitcases laid sprawled open, half pack with his clothes. He sprang from his chair; grabbing a shirt to make himself look busy folding it just as there was a soft knock on the door. "How's it going, son?" Greg Conner asked, peeking his head into the bedroom, glancing around. There was a creak as he pushed the door open and stepped in, looking at the half-filled suitcases disapproving, before staring at the computer screen.  
  
Casey flinched, mentally kicking himself for not closing the "Aliens Exist!" chat room. He knew his father often regretted allowing him to have his privileges back, especially use of the Internet. He also knew his parents kept vigorous tabs on which sites he visited, particularly those having anything to do with aliens. His parents no longer believed he took drugs (though they worried about his hanging around Zeke) but refused to have faith in aliens. His father would often threaten to send him to a shrink if he continued to talk about insanities such as extraterrestrial life.  
  
The boy cleared his throat uncertainly, tossing the shirt into the suitcase and quickly closing the chat window, "It's, uh, going fine, Dad." Greg looked at his son, unconvinced, moving around the bedroom to start folding some clothes as he spoke, "Listen, Case, I know you're upset about us leaving you."  
  
"No, really, I understand. Your job requires that you move around for a few months, and I have to stay here with Uncle Matt so I can finish school. See? I get it."  
  
"Are you sure, son? I'm worried about leaving you, honestly, with your talk of UFOs and aliens." The man finished folding some pants, placing them in the suitcase and beginning to rearrange the sloppily thrown-in items. Casey frowned as he watched him, remaining silent and still, allowing his father to take over packing. In a few short moments, most of the teen's wardrobe was neatly placed within the two bags, yet Greg did not leave, stooping in front of his son, eye-to-eye. "Listen good, Casey. Just because your Uncle is somewhat. . . unorganized, doesn't mean you can stretch the rules. No drugs, no aliens, no staying out until two in the morning doing God knows what, understand?"  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
"That's my boy, now get ready for bed. We'll be dropping you off early in the morning." He patted his son's head, smiled, and left the room without another word. Casey waited until he heard retreating steps down the stairs before shutting down his computer. He proceeded to get ready for bed, tossing the rest of his essentials into the suitcases that he had hauled onto the floor. The bedroom lights were off, the room lit only by the brightness of the moon and stars. Quietly, the boy crept back to his telescope, peering at Mars and Saturn. They were exactly as he had left them, shining bright against the darkness, unique from the stars surrounding them.  
  
Casey was about to retire to bed when movement in the sky caught his attention, drawing him to watch it closely. It looked like a shooting star, streaking across the sky, leaving a pale orange trail behind it. "Might as well make a wish," Casey murmured aloud, leaning against the window for a better look, "I wish people would believe me. I wish they'd stop calling Zeke, Stan, Stokely and I crazy." Seeing that the star had not yet vanished beneath the horizon, he looked at it through his telescope, surprised at how bright it shone, brighter than Saturn. It headed for Earth, and seemed to hit it with a huge blast of light. He frowned, peering into the lens, and rolling his eyes when he realized it must have been a firework from the football game going on not to far away. The boy chuckled at himself as he stood, clambering onto his bed, not realizing how wrong he'd been about the shooting firework. 


	3. Don't Talk To The Neighbor

The Last Invasion  
  
Don't Talk To The Neighbor  
  
The sun had barely peeked over the horizon when Casey, plus his parents, stumbled into the car, packed tightly with suitcases. His mother, Jill, looked on the verge of tears as she realized she wouldn't be seeing her son (or home) for months. As Greg began the drive to his brother's house, Jill twisted in her seat to give her son some last instructions and tips.  
  
"Remember that your uncle Matt is a bit scatterbrained, so remind him of things. Oh, and do your homework before you do anything else."  
  
"I know Mom, you've been over this stuff a million times!"  
  
"You'll have to do your own laundry, don't forget to separate the darks from the lights!"  
  
"Jill, dear, he'll be fine. Stop worrying so much," Greg said, placing a comforting hand upon his wife's arm. She turned to face him, the concern evident on her face as they exchanged a look. Casey sighed inwardly, easily able to guess all that the look meant, the worry his parents felt about leaving him alone, especially with his talk of aliens.  
  
He watched out the car window at the streets passing by, nearly void of life, unsurprisingly. Most of the town's occupants were still in bed on a Saturday morning, resting from the pervious night's football game. When he glanced at the two adults in front, they were both silent, staring out of the windshield, lost in their unspoken worries. Maybe a few months from his parents would be good, for all three of them.  
  
Greg maneuvered the car onto the street where Matt Conner resided, and with a jolt, Casey realized it was the same street Zeke lived on, about fives houses down. He could see the totaled GTO parked in the driveway, nearly useless after it's run in with a school bus.  
  
"Well, here we are," Greg announced half-heartedly, clambering from the car to help Casey lug his suitcases out of the vehicle. A tall, dark strawberry blonde haired man appeared in the doorway, looking like a cross between Casey and Greg, grinning as he ran out to the two. "Casey! Hey, great to see you, you alien terminator!" Matt said, slamming a hand onto the boy's shoulder, nearly knocking him over. Casey coughed, forced a grin, even as he felt his cheeks grow red at his uncle's nickname for him; his father simply continued to pull his luggage along with a somber expression.  
  
"Oh, right, let me help you with that." Matt grabbed the bag from Casey, waved to Jill who was climbing from the car, and hauled it into his house. The boy sighed loudly, turning to look at his mother with the still forced grin on his face. She smiled encouragingly, wrapping him in a tight hug even as she fought back the tears that sprang to her eyes. Greg and Matt joined them as they pulled from the hug, Jill sniffing and Casey struggling to keep the smile on his face. His father placed a hand on his shoulder; bending down and pointing a finger in his face, "Remember what we talked about last night, Case." He reached into his back pocket, pulling out his wallet and stuffing a card into his son's hand, "I know you don't think we don't trust you, but we do. Don't make us regret it. It's a debit card, and it does have a max you can spend, so use it wisely. No more new stories about aliens when we get back, right?"  
  
Casey nodded slowly, sticking the debit card in his pocket and giving a genuine grin, "Of course not, Dad."  
  
Greg looked at his son warily before smiling and patting him on the back, "Good, see you in a few months then. We'll keep in touch." He straightened as Jill raced forward to hug her son one more time. "Be good while we're gone," she whispered in his ear, kissing his cheek and pulling away. Matt stepped forward, draped an arm around Casey and laughed, "Stop worrying you two. Casey and I are going to have a great time. Heck, maybe this time he'll let me do some alien fighting." Greg shot a look at his younger brother that stopped his laughing immediately, only causing Casey's discomfort to grow.  
  
Greg and Jill slid into their car, waving as they pulled away, not to be seen again for a few months time. Casey and Matt stood on the driveway, also waving and not entering the house until they had watched the bumper disappear around a corner. "Ready to have a great time, Case?"  
  
"Uh, yeah, couldn't be more excited Uncle Matt."  
  
"Think we'll get to fight off any aliens and save the world?"  
  
"I really hope not."  
  
Casey kicked a crushed, empty cola can out of his way as he lugged his last bag up the stairs. It was about the twentieth so far; his uncle wasn't a very sanitary person he thought in disgust. At least this time his bed had fresh sheets, without any stains or holes, compared to the last time he had visited. Plus, his uncle had added a computer to the room with cable modem; Casey was sure his parents wouldn't approve which brought a twinge of a smile to his face.  
  
He dropped the suitcase on the bed, beside his other ones, and unzipped it, beginning the long process of unpacking and organizing his things. Time flew by, even though he wasn't exactly having fun, and hours had passed, the town finally coming alive. The boy headed downstairs, eager for a break, finding his uncle intently watching the coverage from the previous night's game. "I thought you went to the game," Casey said, dropping on the couch, "Why are you watching it again?"  
  
"I was hoping they'd show the fireworks, you should have seen them! Awesome, last night, awesome! The whole sky lit up, like some explosion or something." Matt replied, flailing his arms for emphasis. His nephew's smirked, "An explosion, you mean fireworks?"  
  
"Oh shut up."  
  
Casey chuckled, leaning back into the chair as the news reporter wrapped up his segment, not showing the spectacular fireworks display. Matt sighed, "I wish you could have see them, Case. You would have loved them." He stood and headed into the kitchen as the boy frowned, realizing he had seen them in his telescope. The teen looked out the window where he could clearly see the neighbor's house, a girl a few years older then Casey moving boxes into the house.  
  
He leaned forward, peering harder, not remembering having seen a 'for sale' sign on the house, but not remember ever seeing it's occupant's either. "Hey Uncle Matt? Are you getting a new neighbor?"  
  
Matt appeared in the doorway, sandwich in one hand, frowning as he squinted outside, "Huh. Looks like it. Funny, I don't remember it being on the market, but there was this girl that use to live there a few months ago. I haven't seen her in a long time, not sure what happened to her really. Maybe she moved," he shrugged, more interested in his lunch then the movement at the neighbor's house. Casey stood, somewhat intrigued, and not having much else to do, headed towards the front door. He called out to his caretaker as he walked out, "I'm going to go meet her, be back later."  
  
The girl was on the taller side, well built with dark skin, as if she had been out tanning for far to long. At the moment, she was busy picking up a box, half-dragging it towards her house. "Uh, can I help you with that?" Casey asked as he came up beside her, steadying the box and taking most of the weight upon himself. His eyes bulged at the heaviness of the box as he managed to wheeze out, "What in the world do you have in there? Rocks?"  
  
"Something like that, be careful! It's extremely valuable." The girl replied in a rush, taking the lead towards the front door. The two managed to haul the heavy box inside and set it gently down, panting to catch their breath. Casey glanced around as he breathed deeply, noting that most of house was already decorated and finished, though lacking a certain lived-in feeling. He straightened, about to introduce himself when he realized the girl was already outside, grabbing the next box. He hurried out beside her, bending down so they that his face was in front of hers.  
  
"Uh, hi. I just noticed that you moved in, though it seems you already have your house set up. Anyway, I'm Casey- -"  
  
"Casey?"  
  
He frowned, leaning back as they both stood, eyeing one another. He noted one of her eyes had a deep aqua tint while the other was no real color, just a dull gray. He cleared his throat, "Yeah, Conner. Casey Conner, nice to meet- -"  
  
She once again cut him off, roughly gripping his arm and dragging him into her house, slamming the door shut behind him. He felt a stab of panic take over as he immediately began to search for the nearest exit, but had no time to find one as the girl advanced on him. Casey took a step back uncertainly, but she took two forward, herding him so his back hit the wall. "Casey, Casey Conner . . . Yes, I've heard of you, the alien destroyer. Hero of Earth."  
  
"Oh, so you've read the TIME magazine have you? T-t-that was awhile ago." His voiced trailed off in a stutter as he felt her hand pressing him against the wall. "So, what's your name?" He squeaked, eyes darting around for a weapon or escape. Her grip tightened as she stared at him with her odd eyes, her voice a cold whisper in his ear, "My name is Riva."  
  
She began to move her face towards his, mouth opening unnaturally wide and Casey did the first thing that came to his mind: he stabbed a finger into her eye. The old Stooge trick worked for she released him with a painful howl, giving him the few seconds he needed to race from her house. He didn't turn around until he was in his uncle house, all the bolts securely fastened, and up in his locked bedroom. He glanced sideways at the mirror at his reflection, a gasping, pale, terrified boy.  
  
There was a knock on the door; Casey nearly screamed but managed to weakly call, "Who-what?"  
  
"It's me, Matt. You okay in there, Case? You came in here like a flash, and you locked the doors. What's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing Uncle Matt, everything's fine. Just don't talk to the neighbor, okay?" There was a long pause on the other side of the door before he replied hesitantly, "Well, alright. You sure you're okay?"  
  
"Yeah! Fine!" He collapsed on the edge of his bed as he heard his uncle's steps retreating away. Casey stared at the ceiling for several moments before muttering, "Looks like I lied to Dad, I'm going to have more alien stories when they get back."  
  
A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews! They're what keep my writing! And, of course, the disclaimer that I do not own The Faculty or The Three Stooges. Keep up the reviews, and enjoy! 


	4. I'm Going To Need Skat

The Last Invasion  
  
I'm Going To Need Skat  
  
It had been two days, two long, tedious days since Riva had attacked him. Since that time, the alien hadn't left her house once; she had practically disappeared within her house, pulling all the blinds shut. Casey was positive she hadn't escaped; he'd kept a careful watch over her those few days, barely sleeping at night. His mind was now bent on the problem of returning to school the next day, wondering how he might keep spying on his alien neighbor while stuck at school. "This is absurd, I'm going to need some help," he muttered, hunched over in his chair, staring unblinkingly at the house outside his bedroom window. Stretching, Casey stood, heading downstairs to the phone. His uncle had left already for work, leaving a note scribbled with his cell phone number.  
  
Casey stuffed it in his pocket, glancing warily out the window to Riva's place, then picked up the phone and dialed Zeke's number. It rang a few times before the answering machine came on, "Hi, you've reached the Well's residence. Leave a message."  
  
"Hey Zeke, it's Casey. We, uh, have a problem, call me back soon. Oh, and I'm going to be needing some skat, lots of it." He hung up, realizing that was one of the strangest messages he'd ever left. He then began to wonder where Zeke was, thinking that he was just being lazy and sleeping in. He sighed, called Stokely, and also got her answering machine. Slowly, Casey started for the front door, stepping out and closing the door securely after himself. He spotted Zeke's house not far down, but it meant going by Riva's house.  
  
"Don't be paranoid, she hasn't been near a window in two days, just go," he ordered himself, legs stiffly starting to walk. The sidewalk seemed to stretch on forever past Riva's house, growing longer with each step he took. Casey was just starting to relax as he reached the end of her lot when the door creaked open. He froze, hesitantly looking over his shoulder to see the alien framed in the doorway, eyes locked on him. A yell barely formed in his throat when she tore across the lawn, tackling him to the ground with amazing agility and ease. He began to kick and hit her, desperate to get away, but the blows went unnoticed as she hauled him up, forcing him into her house.  
  
Casey's mind reeled as she dragged him indoors, dropping him onto a chair, eyes narrowed warily. She perched on the edge of a sofa across from him, watching his every move with her mismatched eyes. When she didn't move for several moments, Casey began to take control of his breath and spinning brain, unsure of what move to make next. He didn't have to wonder long, for she began to speak, sounding different from their last encounter. Instead of the rough, gravel tones it was softer, less fierce, "We meet again, Casey Conner. Though I must admit, I do not remember quite clearly what happened last time we were together."  
  
There was a long pause as he eyed her unbelievingly, "Well, you tried to turn me into one of your mindless parasite hosts."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Oh?" Casey practically yelled, jumping up at her bored tone of voice. She was up in an instant, glaring at him as she pushed him back into the chair. Riva waited until he had settled down before beginning again, "I'm sorry if that reply offended you. Last time we met, Casey Conner, I was not in charge of my own body. I was, what you call, a mindless parasite host."  
  
The boy blinked, "What? What are you talking about? Aren't you just like Mary Beth?"  
  
"Mary Beth?" She frowned, before lighting up with recognition, "Yes, yes, that's what she called herself here on Earth. I suppose I should start from the beginning or else you will be very confused."  
  
"I'm already confused."  
  
"Silent. Mary Beth was part of water-dwelling creatures known as the Atlantians. I am from the race of Littoral, a species much like you humans. About a hundred years ago, the Atlantians attacked my home planet, a beautiful planet mostly composed of deep blue water and dotted with islands. Their planet had dried up, so they took over ours. They spread their parasites throughout the whole planet, like a virus, until every Littoral had become their willing slaves. They took over my beautiful home, living in our waters, controlling us that lived on the land.  
  
But, just as their old planet had done, ours began to dry up from so many of them. A war broke out between themselves, and in the process killed many of my kind, until only ten of them remained. It was then that Mary Beth escaped, since she most likely would have been killed if she had remained. Once the fighting had subsided, and the war resolved, Mary Beth's absence was soon noted. You see, Mary Beth was still quite young in Atlantian standards."  
  
Casey felt his jaw drop lower, it had fallen a long time ago into the story, as he realized Mary Beth had only been, "A kid! How could she-but she was so-a kid?"  
  
"Yes, but do realize she had all the capabilities of a full grown adult. But, anyway, I was sent to find her. So I traced her here, to a little town in Ohio, near a football field. I immediately began to research humans, and found our construction to be much alike, except for a few physical and mental differences. But it was then that I felt the parasite's hold begin weaken, unable to function without it's main source nearby."  
  
"You mean the queen or king bee? Or should I say, Atlantian?"  
  
"Ah, yes, Casey Conner. I see you did figure some things out while Mary Beth was here. So, I began to dehydrate myself, thus killing the parasite within me, and taking control of my own body once again. It was not truly me that attacked you those few days ago, it was the parasite." She leaned back in her chair, carefully watching Casey's reaction, done with her tale.  
  
Casey sat there silently taking it all in, turning it over in his mind. Finally he talked, his blue eyes clouded with uncertainty, "How do I know this is all true? Mary Beth was very tricky; she had us all fooled the whole time. You might be doing the same thing." Riva nodded in agreement, standing in front of him, "You are smart, Casey Conner. The articles were not truthful about you."  
  
"The articles?"  
  
"Yes, Mary Beth kept a small log of all that had happened. She mentioned you, along with a few others in particular. I then researched and found you to be in some popular Earth magazines. They made it seem as if you were insane making up aliens."  
  
"Yeah. Sometimes I wonder if it were all real, if maybe everyone is right, I am crazy. It's hard to believe something when everyone hates you for it." He sighed, staring at the floor before clearing his throat, realizing he had been caught off guard, "It doesn't matter anyway. How can I believe your story?"  
  
She nodded, fully business, and began to undress. Casey's eyes widen and he began to stutter, "W-what are you d-d-doing? You don't need to take your c- clothes off!" He fell silent at what he saw there, something completely inhuman.  
  
A/N: Ok, so did that all make sense? I'll be tying up some loose ends in upcoming chapters, but I hope you get the main idea. Please keep up the reviews, they're really encouraging! 


	5. Just Sniff It!

The Last Invasion  
  
Just Sniff It!  
  
Zeke Wells stumbled over the cat, cursing at it. "Felix, dumb animal, move!" The tabby cat replied with a hiss, turning its eyes to a set of empty food dishes. Zeke sighed loudly, "Like you really need more food, fat cat." Another hiss, backed by a barley-missed scratch, sent him into the kitchen to find a can of Meow Mix.  
  
A few moments later, he was slouching on a chair, watching the animal gulp down its meal. "Sorry," he muttered to Felix, wondering how mad his mother would be to come home to find a dead cat. That was, if she ever decided to come back from Asia. He had seen her a week ago, barely had a chance to say anything to his mother, before she left on another one of her trips.  
  
Zeke pushed the thoughts away, to exhausted to care much about anything, and dropped his head on the counter. Slowly, he raised it again, noticing the blinking light on the answering machine. He reached over, punched the button, and dully listened. If it was that kid calling about his fake ID again . . .  
  
"Hey Zeke, it's Casey. We, uh, have a problem, call me back soon. Oh, and I'm going to be needing some skat, lots of it." Casey's voice stumbled over the words, the fear and apprehension evident in his tone of voice. Zeke's brow furrowed as he grabbed the phone and dialed Casey's house. His frown increased when there was no answer. "Skat, why would Casey want skat? He doesn't do drugs." Zeke murmured aloud, walking over to a desk drawing, yanking it open, and shifting through its contents. He found the phone book and began to flip through its pages.  
  
"Stokely here, what do you want?"  
  
"Gee, Stokely, not a real morning person, are you?"  
  
"Zeke? Damn, what do you want?"  
  
"Nice to talk to you to."  
  
"I'm hanging up."  
  
"No, wait, sorry. You talked to Casey lately? He left some weird message for me."  
  
"Yeah, actually, he left me a message to. Sounded kind of scared about something. You try calling him?"  
  
"Uh-huh, but no one was home."  
  
Stokely paused before sighing, "That's right, his parents went out of town. I think he's staying with his Uncle, hang on, I wrote down the address." Zeke smirked as he heard a loud crash in the background, followed by Stokely cursing, before she picked up the phone again, out of breath. Zeke chuckled, "Hey Stokely, is Stan over there with you? I hear a whole lot of yelling."  
  
"Oh, shut up. You want the address or not?"  
  
"Hit me."  
  
"With pleasure," Stokely muttered before rattling off the street. Zeke frowned, "That's right by me, just a few houses away. I've got a bad feeling about this; why don't you come over and we can go over to his Uncle's house, check things out. I'll get our . . . supplies together."  
  
- - - -  
  
Casey eyed Riva no longer with a sense of fear and apprehension, but with awe and reverence. And, in return, the alien didn't survey him as a lower being, but with respect. Fifteen minutes had passed since the boy had seen proof that Riva couldn't be an Atlantian. They both reclined in their chairs, obviously at ease with one another, sharing stories and bits of information.  
  
"So, what exactly happens when one of those worms gets in your head? Does it just, take over?" Casey asked, noting the slight shutter that passed over Riva. She closed her mismatched eyes, and he noticed another distinguishing difference between her and humans. Instead of the same shade skin eyelids, they were like solid liquid, constantly changing shades of aqua. "Uh, Riva?" Casey started uncertainly, drawing her from her memories.  
  
"Huh? What, what's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing, just that maybe you shouldn't close your eyes when in public."  
  
Riva sighed as her eyes flashed open, "Ah, yes, yes, of course. You see, my race not only dwells on land, but also in water," she explained, "But to answer your previous question, about the worms, I believe you called them. They usually enter through a cavity in the head, most likely the ear cavity in humans; it would be the most direct route to the brain.  
  
"Once in the skull, they secrete a liquid that is pumped through your blood stream, soaked into your muscles, giving the worm complete control. While the liquid is traveling around the body, the parasite burrows into the brain, deep down towards the bundle of nerves located towards the neck. They wrap part of themselves around the spinal cord, and simply gain control. That's all I know, from Mary Beth's observations. She did a few . . .experiments."  
  
Casey cringed, momentarily wondering who the poor souls might have been at Mary Beth's mercy. He quickly shook his head clear of the thoughts, changing the subject, "How long was Mary Beth on Earth, anyway? I thought she was only here a couple of days."  
  
Riva's abrupt laugh surprised him as she replied, "Oh, no. She was here for at least a few months. I can't be sure when she escaped, but she had plenty of time to adjust here." His jaw dropped, "Months! How could she possibly have been here months?"  
  
"She did not infest your school right away, Casey Conner. Mary Beth was quite intelligent in Atlantian standards, she must have laid low for awhile to simply observe until she felt it was time to begin her invasion." Riva replied with a minimal shrug.  
  
Casey sunk into his chair; unable to believe an alien had lived on Earth for months without detection. Living right next to his uncle! "This is unbelievable," he muttered, running a hand down his face. He was to busy mumbling to notice Riva stand and look out the window, summoned by a loud noise outside. She frowned as she watched the commotion, finally gaining Casey's curiosity.  
  
"What's going on?" He asked, dragging himself from the chair to pull back the curtain and peer outside. "There seems to be a group of humans gathered at your house, banging on your door. How very strange."  
  
"Wait a minute, that's Zeke! And Stokely! Come on, we better stop them before they break the door down."  
  
"Casey! Casey, are you in there man? Open the door already!" Zeke yelled at the top of his lungs, pounding on the door with his fist. Stokely stood nervously beside him, also calling Casey's name and trying to look in the windows.  
  
They both looked up as the very person they were screaming for came jogging across the yard, followed by a hesitant girl, eyeing them uncertainly. "Zeke, Stokes, hey! You got my message? Well obviously-"  
  
"Cut the chit chat Case, who's she?" Zeke interrupted, gesturing to Riva. Casey replied without thought, "She's the alien." In a flash, Stokely and Zeke produced pens filled with powder, wielding them like swords, Zeke's nearly up Casey's nose before he could utter a word.  
  
"You know the drill, sniff it," Zeke ordered as Stokely kept her pen trained on Riva, determined but not quite certain. Casey pushed the pen away with a roll of his eyes, "No, guys, she's not that kind of alien. If you'd just let me explain-"  
  
"Sniff it, Casey!" Zeke snapped, this time more forcefully, "Just sniff it, get high for a little bit, and we'll know you aren't one of them." He spat the last word out, shooting a glare at Riva. Casey sighed loudly, taking the pen from Zeke and jamming it up his nose. "You owe me," he grumbled before inhaling deeply.  
  
Stokely and Zeke waited with baited breath as Casey dropped the empty pen, grabbing his suddenly reeling head. Zeke offered him a steady hand, glad to see the boy not suddenly foaming at the mouth, as an alien would. Leaning heavily on Zeke, Casey dropped onto the front steps of his Uncle's house, clutching his head. Zeke and Stokely soon joined him, pointing to Riva, "So, who's she?" 


	6. Tutus and Belly Shirts

The Last Invasion  
  
Tutus and Belly Shirts  
  
Casey looked at Zeke and Stokely through narrowed eyes, wondering why everything was blurred. He was also wondering why Zeke was spinning around. Maybe he was pretending to be a ballerina. Casey burst into a fit of giggles at the thought of Zeke in a pink tutu, leaping about. His giggling increased as he also pictured Stokely and Stan dancing around with Zeke.  
  
Stokely sighed loudly as she watched Casey go off into his own little world, "Great, now we can't get a straight answer out of him for at least a few hours. You know how bad he gets when he's high."  
  
"Yeah, yeah, I know. But we had to know, Stokely."  
  
"So what do we do with this other chick?"  
  
"I don't know. You're suppose to be the brains."  
  
"Me? You're the genius, remember? Oh, wait, you're repeating senior year. Never mind."  
  
"Shut up."  
  
Riva stood silently watching the two teenagers continue to bicker, while also keeping a wary eye on Casey. Perhaps she was wrong about him being fairly intelligent; he was acting quite stupid, even for a human. She jumped, as did Zeke and Stokely, when the blue-eyed boy jumped up and began to spin and dance across the yard. The three exchanged worried glances, and Stokely hissed, "Do something!"  
  
Zeke planted a hand firmly on Casey's shoulders, stopping the boy from permanently injuring himself, and turning him towards the direction of his house. "Come on, Casey boy, time to go to my house," he muttered, pushing him along while still holding his shoulders still. Casey grinned blankly, "To look at your tutu?" Zeke blinked, "My what?"  
  
Stokely situated herself on one of the couch, one arm holding Casey quiet and the other ready to defend herself against the seemingly human girl across from her. She had managed to subdue Casey so that he was able to sit still and not giggle about everything. How she hated when he was tweaking, he became such a moron. "So, what's your name?" she finally asked, breaking the heavy silence that hung in the air, looking accusingly at the girl who she knew was an alien.  
  
The girl looked uncertainly up, having been intently studying her shoes, and Stokely noticed for the first time that her eyes were different shades. Yeah, she was definitely an alien. The alien opened her mouth to reply, but Casey butted in, "Stokes, you know my name is Casey. Sheesh."  
  
"I know that, Case, thanks. Now remember how we were talking earlier how you need to be quiet or else I will hurt you?"  
  
"Uh-huh."  
  
"This is one of those times."  
  
Casey fell immediately silent, sinking into the cushions of the chair. Stokely sighed, wishing Zeke would hurry up and get off the phone. She jumped when the alien spoke, barely above a whisper, "Is Casey Conner alright? He was not acting so peculiar earlier when we spoke."  
  
"Yeah, he's just high. He'll be fine later," Stokely replied hesitantly, "So, is he right? Are you an alien?" Her hand dropped to her pocket, fingering the handful of powder-filled pens she had there. The alien girl nodded slowly, "Yes, he did not lie. I am an alien, but not the same race as Mary Beth. In fact, my species has been enslaved by Mary Beth's race."  
  
"So you know all about Mary Beth then?"  
  
"Yes, she and I were nearly friends at one point."  
  
"Yeah, I know what that's like," Stokely murmured, remembering how she had almost enjoyed Mary Beth's company. Her eyes narrowed dangerously as she also recalled the web of deceit the alien had woven. "How can I believe you?" Stokely asked suddenly, eyeing the alien with renewed suspicion, "I don't even know your name."  
  
"And I do now know yours."  
  
"Fine. I'm Stokely."  
  
"Stokely, is that all?"  
  
"What, you want a last name? Fine, I'm Stokely Mitchell, and the other guy on the phone is Zeke Wells. Happy? Now tell me your name."  
  
"Very well, Stokely Mitchell, I am known as Riva."  
  
Stokely nodded, only partially satisfied, "Ok Riva, why should I believe you?" Zeke strolled into the room at that point, a pen twirling in his fingers as he dropped down beside Casey. The blue-eyed boy grinned, and yelled to Riva, "Take your clothes off like you did for me!"  
  
"Whoa, did I miss something here?" Zeke asked, glancing between the three. Stokely shrugged and shot a glare at Casey, which immediately quieted him down. Riva, a bit embarrassed, cleared her throat, "Yes, earlier I proved I was not an Atlantian."  
  
"A what?"  
  
"Mary Beth was an Atlantian, just as you are a human, Zeke Wells."  
  
"Why'd you tell her my name Stokely?"  
  
"Get over it. Go on, Riva, prove it."  
  
"Of course. As I was saying, Mary Beth was an Atlantian, and she is a water- dwelling creature made mostly of tentacles and some rather sharp teeth. But, being an Atlantian, she had the power to manipulate her DNA structure so she seemed to look exactly as a human. Being a Littoral, my species, I cannot do that but luckily resemble humans close enough to get by. But, as Casey and I realized, there are a few distinguishing traits I possess that are simply not human." With that, Riva closed her eyes, taking Stokely and Zeke by surprise at the sigh of the liquid-like eyelids. She then lifted her shirt, revealing her abdomen to be the same solid-liquid substance showing a few of her interior organs. Stokely gasped and Zeke leaned forward in amazement as Casey made a remark about it being "pretty."  
  
"I am a land and water dweller, that is why I look like that. It enables me to go far below sea-level without being crushed by the pressure," Riva explained as she pulled her shirt back down. Stokely eyed her warily, leaning back into the couch beside Casey, sighing in thought. Zeke smirked, "Well, one things for sure. You won't be wearing any belly shirts while one this planet." Casey was the only one to laugh.  
  
"When will Casey Conner no longer be high? Will he go low?"  
  
"Kind of hard to tell with Case, he acts pretty crazy sometimes. But, it should wear off soon enough, don't worry about it. Only long-term damage is a few lost brain cells. But, let's not talk about him when we obviously have more pressing matters. Tell me, Riva, why are you here anyway?"  
  
The alien sat gingerly once again, a small sense of relief filling her when she saw Zeke place the powder filled pen on the coffee table and lean back. "I was sent to search for Mary Beth, find where she has been these last few months, and bring her back home."  
  
Stokely frowned, "What do you mean by 'sent'? As in some other alien being told you to go look for her?"  
  
"Correct. As I explained to Casey Conner earlier, Mary Beth was not the only Atlantian. She fled the planet when it broke out in civil war between the Atlantians. Many of them died, including many of my people. There are not many left, but they sent me to search out Mary Beth and bring her back home, they are very worried about her."  
  
"Aw, isn't that sweet," Zeke replied sarcastically, "They're worried about the little lost lamb. Why do they care about her anyway? Don't they have more important stuff to worry about?"  
  
Riva shrugged, "She was young, they simply wondered where she escaped to. Eventually they will realize Mary Beth is dead, and also that I am no longer under their control. Their powers cannot stretch across the galaxy; they are simply not that powerful. I only wonder how long it will take for them to reach that conclusion."  
  
There was a long stretch of silence as Riva's words settled in, a new sense of fear welling in the teens. Stokely broke the silence in a barely audible whisper, "And what happens when they figure it out?" Riva did not answer immediately, but it was clear by the look on her face.  
  
"They come to investigate for themselves."  
  
A heavy weight suddenly fell upon them, growing heavier with each moment that passed. This time it was Casey who broke the silence with a simple word that seemed to sum it up well, "Crap."  
  
A/N: I dedicate Casey's giggles (and rather stupid remarks) all to Risa. I love when he goes insane during the movie too. Hehe. Anyway, thanks for the reviews! Let's play a little trivia game, shall we? (This should have been in the last chapter, oh well) Who can tell me why Zeke's cat's name is Felix? * Hint * This of his deceased pet mouse's name, and of "famous couples." Good luck! Answer posted in the next chapter! 


	7. Three Months

The Last Invasion  
  
Three Months  
  
Casey awoke to find he had an excruciating headache, not to mention the rest of his body tingled with unpleasant sensations. He peeked one eye open cautiously, blinking until his vision cleared enough before opening the other. It was nearly dark outside, the sun just on the verge of setting, the moon already starting to shine.  
  
For a brief moment, Casey wondered if he could have been dreaming, if the last few days were just one long, terrible nightmare. But realization soon settled back in as he spotted Riva reclined in a chair, her mismatched eyes watching him constantly. "Where am I?" He mumbled groggily, his voice rough and scratchy.  
  
"At Zeke Well's residence."  
  
"What time is it?"  
  
"I do not know Earth's means of setting time."  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"You fell asleep."  
  
"Really, I hadn't noticed," Casey replied sarcastically, sitting up and rubbing his knuckles into his eyes. Everything felt weird, worse than a hangover from beer is a hangover from drugs, Casey thought miserably as he glanced around. "Where'd they go?"  
  
"Stokely Mitchell left after we talked and you fell asleep. Zeke Wells got up and went outside, I believe he is still out there." Riva answered as she leaned back into her chair. Casey wasn't sure, but she seemed quiet tired. He frowned, "Are you feeling alright?"  
  
"I'm fine."  
  
He stood, glancing down at her, "You sure? You look tired. Just sit here and rest, I'm going to go talk to Zeke." Riva paused before nodding, closing her eyes and leaning her head forward. Casey momentarily studied her eyelids, the way they looked like rippling water though obviously solid. Quietly he left the room and traveled outside where he spotted Zeke sitting on the crumpled hood of his car.  
  
"Hey, it's sleeping beauty," Zeke greeted him with a smirk, moving so there was room on the hood. From there spot, the glimmering moon was clearly visible, the stars becoming brilliant one by one. The two friends remained silent for several moments, both lost within their own thoughts, staring up into the darkening sky.  
  
Casey was the first to break the silence with a soft sigh and uncertain words, "What are we going to do?" Zeke eyed him from the edge of his sight, not bothering to tear his eyes from the heavens, "About the aliens?"  
  
"No, about your car."  
  
"Chill, Case, you are far to tense abut all this."  
  
"And you are way to laid back! Aliens are coming to look for their lost family, the one we killed! What do you think they'll do next, Zeke, invite for dinner? They're going to be out for revenge." A heavy silence fell between them, Casey's despair evident upon his face while Zeke's remained blank of emotion. Finally the boy replied, "We'll we can't exactly do anything about them coming to Earth. But one thing I do know, is I'm not going down without one hell of a fight."  
  
The grim grin on Zeke's face slowly spread to the blue-eyed boy, "Yeah, we humans are sure are stubborn when it comes to dying." Zeke laughed, clapping a hand on Casey's shoulder, "Sure thing, Case!"  
  
A few hours passed before the duo found themselves shivering from the night's chill winds. They traveled back inside where Felix greeted them with an angry hiss. Zeke begrudgingly fed it, mumbling about its need to eat more than once a week. Casey watched and made a mental note never to let Zeke baby-sit one of his pets. They made their way into the living room to see Riva sitting there, just as they had left her.  
  
"Ready to go, Riva? I have to get home; my Uncle is probably worried about me. Plus, we have school tomorrow."  
  
"School? What is this school, Casey Conner? Mary Beth mentioned it in her data."  
  
"I'll explain it on the way. See you tomorrow Zeke."  
  
"Right, see ya."  
  
Casey led the way outside followed closely by Riva, who continued to demand to know what school was. As they walked, the human explained that it was a place for learning about the world around you. He conveniently left out the part that it was also a place for torture and having your spirit crushed daily by your same species. Riva was very intrigued and said she wished to go with him to "this place of learning."  
  
Casey frowned, "Are you sure, Riva? I mean, you should probably get to know Earth's customs a little bit better before going to school. It's not exactly the best place for a new girl, especially if she's an alien."  
  
"I have read nearly all of Mary Beth's notes on this place. And what better place to learn your customs then a place designed specifically to teach you those things? School will be a good experience, I'm sure." Riva replied with a pleased grin and confident gleam in her eyes.  
  
The boy shrugged, "Alright, if you insist."  
  
"I do."  
  
"Ok, I'll come to your house in the morning, be ready."  
  
"Very well, until then Casey Conner, farewell."  
  
"Uh, right, bye."  
  
He crept into his uncle's house cautiously, wondering if Matt would be mad that he had disappeared all day, or if the man had even noticed. "Hey, alienator! Where you been all day, out with your girlfriend? Is that her you were just with? Fine stuff, you get your charms from my side of the family, I bet you a million bucks."  
  
"That's not my girlfriend, that's the girl that moved in next door."  
  
"Is it? Huh," Matt moved to the window, glancing out at Riva as she entered into her house. His nephew rolled his eyes, "Anyway, I'm going to bed, I have school tomorrow."  
  
"Oh that's right, you do. Need me to take your or make your lunch or something?"  
  
"No, I'm fine, thanks. See you in the morning."  
  
"Night Case."  
  
- - -  
  
Iwant2Believe: I was reading some article about aliens today. It was really stupid. It was in the Observer, something about how aliens have always existed, and when humans came around, they became trees.  
  
StarSearcher: That's really dumb.  
  
UnFlyObj: I read that article! And how acorns are actually there offspring.  
  
Iwant2Believe: Yah, it was messed up.  
  
StarSearcher: What do you think of it Case? Case?  
  
Iwant2Believe: Uh, did he leave?  
  
Casey looked blankly at the computer screen, watching the chat in Aliens Exist! with boredom. He knew all of the chatters logged on, and all the chatters knew him. They had been corresponding for months, swapping alien theories, stories and myths. But now that the aliens were coming back, should he tell them? Would they call him crazy like everyone else?  
  
No, he knew they would never say that. They had read all the articles where he had been interviewed, and believed every word they said. Of course, most of the chatters were loonies that belonged in the asylum, but there were a few that seemed halfway sane, like himself.  
  
Sighing, Casey decided against it. The aliens were only coming in theory, according to Riva, maybe she was completely wrong. Most likely not, but there was some hope in the fact that she could be, she had said so herself. Only time would tell.  
  
The boy logged off, clambered from his chair, stretched, and then dropped onto his bed. As he laid there, his thoughts a huge jumble, he began to recall what Riva had told them, before he had fallen asleep. Stokely had been warning to beat him if he continued to lean on her shoulder, of course Casey had been so tweaked at that point; he could barely lift his head. Zeke was silent, occasionally asking questions, but Riva had done most of the talking.  
  
"It will not take them long to realize I am no longer under their power. Not longer under that, they will realize that Mary Beth will not return to Aquaterrene, they will-"  
  
"Aqua-what?"  
  
"Aquaterrene, my home planet. As I was saying, they will search for her, and follow her coordinates to here. Once here it will not take long to realize all that happened to Mary Beth, and that she is dead. They will also know you killed her."  
  
There was a slight pause as Zeke finally blurted, "How long do we have?" Riva was silent as she quietly calculated, "A few months. Three at the most, if we are lucky."  
  
"Are these Atlantians.revengeful?"  
  
"If one Atlantian kills another, the punishment is death by dehydration, or in other words, torture." Riva replied slowly, suddenly finding the floor to be quite interesting. The trio of humans glanced at each other heavily, Stokely speaking up, "Well, we should tell Stan."  
  
"Yeah, and Delilah."  
  
"Casey!"  
  
"What?"  
  
They had talked for a few minutes after that, but each one's mind was on other, bigger matters, like staying alive.  
  
Casey sighed in the dark, flipping over in his bed. Three months, only three months? Maybe they wouldn't come, maybe they just wouldn't care. Another sigh. Yeah right.  
  
A/N: And the winner is. . . Fool of a Took and Riva! Come on down! You win. . . uh, well, nothing, but thanks for playing! Anyway, this is a pretty pointless chapter, but I wrote it anyway, cause that's just what I do. Thanks for reviewing you guys! 


	8. School

The Last Invasion  
  
School  
  
His hand snaked out of the covers, searching blindly along before slamming down on the blaring alarm clock. Casey slowly pulled the covers down from his head, blinking in the harsh morning light, sitting up and rubbing his eyes with his knuckles. He paused, staring out his bedroom window to the house across the way, where Riva stood, surveying herself in a small mirror. His eyes widen and he stood, stepping up to the window to get a better view. She looked . . .good, REALLY good! Where in the world did an alien get an outfit like that, or learn to apply makeup so flawlessly?  
  
Casey no longer stalled on getting ready, but rushed to do so, eager to ask Riva the questions he kept asking himself. Just as he was about to zip out the door, Matt appeared, a cup of coffee in one hand, yawning and rubbing his unshaven jaw, "Hey alienator. What's the big rush, you late?"  
  
"Oh, hi Uncle Matt. No, I'm not running late, just don't want to miss the bus is all."  
  
"Ah, gotcha. You have your lunch? Homework? Key?"  
  
Casey smirked wryly at his uncle, "You reading off that list Mom gave you?" Matt smiled sheepishly, "That easy to tell, huh?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Well, then I'm sure you have everything. See you later then, Case."  
  
Casey opened up the door, "Bye Uncle Matt." Then, shouldering his book bag, he crossed the yard.  
  
He stared apprehensively at the door, as if it were a growling monster, either that or Mary Beth in her true form. Suddenly he wasn't so eager to ask her those questions and he was seriously debating just running off to school without the alien girl. He had enough trouble at school, why make it worse by bringing some odd new girl? He never actually got the chance to decide since Riva appeared, grinning and opening the door. "Greetings Casey Conner."  
  
"Hi Riva," Casey replied, eyeing the alien up and down. She caught his look and struck a slight pose, "Do I fill the requirements of a normal, human girl your age?" The boy couldn't help but grin, "Fill it? Riva, you surpass it more than I could have imagined! How did you know to dress like that? Where'd you get those clothes?"  
  
It was now the alien's turn to smirk, "Mary Beth had a few teenage girl magazines lying around. I simply followed the easy instructions inside. I found the clothes inside, but apparently Mary Beth had not yet worn them. Atlantians do not like non-conservative clothing, though they do not wear any in their true forms."  
  
"Oh, well, good idea. You'll fit in perfectly," he paused and pointed to the bag hanging from her shoulders warily, "What's that?" Riva frowned, pulling it from her shoulder and holding it out, "I believe it's Mary Beth's old things. There are some school supplies in it that she had used previously." Casey pulled away from it suddenly, as if it were the plague, wanting to have nothing to do with something that belong to the deceased alien. Riva saw the look that crossed his face and quickly returned it to its place on her shoulder, "Should I not bring it?"  
  
"No, no, its fine. I just have . . . bad memories from Mary Beth. But, no, bring it, you'll need it."  
  
"All right, if you are sure Casey Conner," Riva replied hesitantly, stepping out beside him and closing the door. "We should get going, shouldn't we? We do not want to miss the bus, I believe it's called." The boy sighed, so she knew about the bus. Apparently Riva had done her homework. "I thought we could walk to school," he muttered lamely, not wanting to start his day of torture early, and not wanting Riva to see that he really was no hero of earth, just another, typical school wimp.  
  
"Not take the bus? Isn't it a long way to school?"  
  
"Well, yeah-"  
  
"We would be late if we walk to school. I do not wish to be late on my first day, Casey Conner."  
  
The blue-eyed teen thought quickly for another excuse when he was rescued from having to come up with any. A screeching noise was coming behind them, and there appeared Zeke in his GTO with a loud thud as the car lurched to a halt. "Need a lift?"  
  
"Yes!" Casey yelped a bit to eagerly, piling into the back of the car. Zeke glanced at him with a raised eyebrow as Riva climbed into the passenger's side, but he said nothing, instead giving the alien girl a wolf whistle, "Riva, you are one hot alien."  
  
"I actually find this skirt to be a bit chilly."  
  
"Never mind," he muttered, suppressing a chuckle and gunning the car forward. There was a loud whine from the engine before it finally began to move, Casey wondering if it would make it to school in one piece.  
  
It did make it, early in fact. The three exited the car and were greeted by Stan and Stokely. Stan was a bit wary about Riva, not quite sure if she really was an alien, or some prank set up by his girlfriend. But Riva willingly gave him proof, and Stan no longer doubted. Moments later the bell rang and Riva followed Casey to the office. He quickly made up an excuse that Riva was a cousin who had just moved to town and wanted to enroll in Herrington High. "And I was thinking I could just show her around today, let her go to my classes with me," Casey finished, crossing his fingers that they would believe his tale. They did, and a little bit later, Casey and Riva arrived at their first class: Mr. Tate's.  
  
Casey cursed under his breath as he surveyed the room. The only two seats left were in the back, right next to Gabe. Riva looked at the boy from the corner of her eye, wondering why they had not yet sat down when Casey grabbed her wrist and dragged her down to the two seats left. She sat eagerly down, pulling a notebook from her bag, along with a pen. She glanced up when the boy beside her whistled, "Hey doll, whatcha doin' with a loser like Casey?"  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"I said why are you hanging with Casey when you could me with a real man: me." Gabe replied, leaning over to whisper in her ear. Riva's eyebrows knotted, confusion crossing her face when Casey barged in, "Lay off Gabe. She's my cousin, all right? Leave her alone."  
  
Gabe sneered, "You telling me what to do, shrimp? You sure that's a good idea?" Before Casey could reply, Mr. Tate stepped up, calling for attention as began another one of his infamously boring lectures. Riva eyed Gabe hesitantly before turning to her friend, "What was that about Casey Conner? Who is that boy?"  
  
"That's Gabe. He's a big jerk, captain of the football team. You'll want to stay away from him, Riva."  
  
"Casey! Do we have a problem back there or can I continue with my lecture?"  
  
"Sorry Mr. Tate, sir."  
  
The boy fell silent and the teacher continued with his lesson as Riva picked up her pen and began to take notes. After only a few moments, Riva had filled up a whole page of notes and was starting on the next when Casey leaned over to see all that she had written down. She had written every single word that Mr. Tate had said. Every word. Casey sighed, dropping his forehead into his hands, Riva may look human, but that's where the similarities ended.  
  
Finally, last period. Casey breathed a sigh of relief, and then stopped, oh great, it was gym. He glanced uncertainly towards Riva, wondering what he should do next. "Uh, Riva, we have a problem."  
  
"Hey Case, who's your friend?"  
  
"Delilah." He spoke the name with dread as the head cheerleader made her way towards the two. "This is my cousin, Riva. Riva this is Delilah Profitt."  
  
"Nice meeting you Delilah Profitt."  
  
"Hm, I'm sure. So you guys are cousins? Where are you from Riva? Going to be staying long or just visiting?"  
  
Riva looked wide-eyed at Delilah, shooting a helpless look at Casey, who looked just as unsure. They were saved by Stokely who strolled up to them, shouldering Delilah "accidentally." She grinned, "Hey Case, Riva. Why don't I show her around gym, Case? See you later after gym." She hooked her arm around Riva's arm and began to drag the alien towards the locker room, Delilah looking at them suspiciously, trailing behind.  
  
"Just do what I tell you, and you'll be fine," Stokely instructed, leading her over to a row of lockers and opening one. Riva glanced around the room, her nose slightly wrinkled, "What is everyone doing?"  
  
"Changing into their gym clothes."  
  
Riva whirled around to Stokely, her eyes fearful, "Am I required to do this?" She motioned to her abdomen, tugging up a corner of her shirt to reveal the blue-tinted skin. Stokely bit her lip, yanking Riva's shirt down as Delilah walked over. "Aren't you going to change, Riva?"  
  
Stokely answered snappishly, "She doesn't have any clothes."  
  
"I can get her some." Delilah said with an eager smile.  
  
"Don't bother, she can't play today. She has asthma."  
  
"So does Katie, but she plays."  
  
"Riva doesn't have her inhaler."  
  
Delilah raised an eyebrow unbelievingly, but shrugged and turned on her heel to walk away. Stokely breathed a sigh of relief, "Better watch her, Riva. She's one mean brat. Come on, you can just sit on the bleachers and watch. I'll sit with you, say I have cramps or something."  
  
Riva frowned, "Cramps?"  
  
"I'll explain it later," Stokely laughed, pulling Riva along.  
  
A/N: Wow, sorry it's been so long since I've updated, but I've been really busy. We're moving next week, and last week I had play practice every day. And today, we had to put my dog down, so I've been rather depressed lately. Which is why this chapter is so awful, I'll try to make the next one better. Thanks for the reviews guys! 


	9. The Interrupting Cow

The Last Invasion  
  
The Interrupting Cow  
  
The calendar didn't lie, it couldn't lie, it was a calendar. But it didn't seem possible; time had slipped through his fingers like water, gone in an instant never to return. It would be three months in a few weeks; three months had passed in a flash. Casey sighed as he tossed his calendar on the bed, flopping down beside it. From his position he could see out the window where the sun was shining brightly in the spring air, warming the budding trees and flowers.  
  
In a few months school would finally be out, he'd finally be able to graduate from the hell house Herrington High. He'd have a long summer break before packing off to college; maybe he'd spend some time with Zeke, Stan, Stokely and Riva. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, no more Gabe, no more Delilah, and most importantly, no more flag pole. Casey outright grinned, he could finally start over.  
  
He lost himself in thoughts for a while, his eyes finally sliding over to the nightstand where an envelope leaned against the lamp. The smile began to fall some as he rolled over and plucked it from its position, sitting up to tear it open. It was from his parents, he could tell from the little hearts his mother drew by his name on the address. Note to self, burn envelope before anyone sees it. He finished ripping it open, scanning it over quickly, his smiling starting to vanish to be replaced by a frown.  
  
They sent their love, of course, and wished they were back home, but it seemed the job would require another move from the couple. This time they were moving to Indiana, closer to home, but no cigar. They then promised they would make it home for his graduation, along with well wishes. Odd, when his parents had first left, Casey had been overjoyed to get away from them for a while, but now. Well, now he actually missed them, having looked forward to their return.  
  
He briefly wondered if Zeke ever felt the same way, ever wanted to see his parents for more than a brief few moments. He sighed, well if Zeke did, he never showed it and would probably avoid the question at all costs. Oh well, it didn't matter; they'd be home eventually. The letter fell from his hands on to the bed, slipping off to the floor, where he left it, unnoticed.  
  
Eventually, Casey pulled himself from his daydreaming to glance at the clock on his nightstand, cursing when he saw the time. He was supposed to go to Stokely's for the traditional Friday pizza party they had every few weeks. He sprung from the bed, grabbing the jacket from back of his computer chair and taking the stairs two at a time. "I'll be at Stokes', Uncle Matt! See you later!" He yelled, not waiting for a reply before leaving.  
  
Briefly he wondered if he could catch a ride with Zeke, but then realized the boy would be driving to Stokley's from work. He sprinted down the sidewalk, past Riva's house, remembering that the alien girl had spent the night with Stokely and would already be there. Stan, of course, was already at Stokely's, the two were practically inseparable. Zeke often made comments about the two along the lines of feeling nauseous.  
  
Casey raced along the sidewalks silently; the only noise he made was his steady breathing. Luckily, he was a fast, steady runner; you had to be when you wanted to escape your tormentors. Even Coach Willis had commented on it, all the months ago. Of course, it wasn't actually Coach, which made Casey wonder, was it Mary Beth that actually make the remark? Could she control each and every person she infected? The boy pushed the thoughts away with a shutter. It's been months ago, but the memories were as vivid as if it had all happened yesterday.  
  
He tore around the last corner, coming upon Stokely's house the same time the pizza delivery guy did. Casey skidded to a stop, panting to catch his breath as he walked towards the door where the deliveryman stood, two boxes of pizza in his arm. "Hey, you're Casey Connor! The alien dude!" The pizza guy said, his face lighting up with recognition. Casey blushed, "Uh, yeah, I am." He hated when this happened.  
  
Stan came to the door, a child latched onto each leg, and one hanging off his shoulder, giggling madly as he struggled to stand upright. "Oh, hey Casey. Come on in, I'll get the pizzas," he said, saving Casey from a long, awkward moment. The boy hurriedly ducked in, heading to the living room where Zeke was sprawled out on the couch, Riva perched on the free end, and Stokely cursing at the television, which wasn't working.  
  
"Hey Case," Zeke said boredly, dropping his head over the edge of the couch to look at the blue-eyed boy upside down. Casey offered a wave and dropped into his usual chair, watching Stokely fiddle with the remote control. Charlie, one of Stokely's younger siblings, popped up beside him, grinning, "Hi Casey!"  
  
"Hey Charlie. What's up?"  
  
"Not much," he said with a mischievous grin, leaning forward. He motioned for Casey to do the same, and the child whispered giddily in his ear, "I took the batteries out of the remote control. Stoke hasn't figured it out yet." Casey snickered and the two glanced over at the girl as she growled and threw the remote to the ground. She shot them a glare upon hearing the giggling, "Charlie! Get over here!"  
  
Charlie shuffled over to his sister, offering his best innocent smile. "What'd you do to this remote?" She asked, picking it up off the floor and waving it in his face. "Me? Do something to the remote? I'm hurt you could say such a thing!"  
  
"Empty your pockets."  
  
"I think I hear Stan yelling for help."  
  
"Pockets!" She grabbed the collar of his shirt and jammed her hand into his pocket, pulling out two batteries. One eyebrow rose accusingly, and Charlie gasped, "How'd those get in there!" Stokely swatted at him, sending him giggling into the kitchen.  
  
Stan appeared with the pizzas, placing them on the table, and began to pry the three kids off his body. They were seven year old triplets: Josie, Jake, and Jeff, all Stokley's younger siblings. Then there was Charlie, ten, and Lucy, thirteen, who was probably out with her friends. Stokely walked over and began tugging Jeff off Stan's left thigh. Finally the three were off and sent upstairs to watch some Disney movie, along with Charlie.  
  
"Be glad you're an only kid," Stokely muttered dryly to Casey as they dug into the pizzas. Casey shrugged, dangling a piece over his mouth, slowly lowering it in, and talking between mouthfuls, "I don't know. It gets lonely sometimes."  
  
Zeke and Riva were back on the couch, eating their pizza quietly. Zeke glanced at the alien beside him and grinned, "Hey Riva, want to hear a joke?"  
  
"Okay," she replied hesitantly, setting her slice down. She hadn't done well with jokes, not completely understanding their purpose, though Zeke sat her down one day to try and explain them for over two hours.  
  
"Knock-knock."  
  
Stokely groaned, "Don't you have anything better than knock-knock jokes?" Zeke smiled, "You'll like this one. Ok, Riva, knock-knock."  
  
"Who's there?"  
  
"The interrupting cow."  
  
"The interrupting co-"  
  
"MOO!"  
  
Riva blinked at him, Stokely rolled her eyes, Stan and Casey snickered, trying desperately not to laugh, even though Zeke was cracking up. "I'm not sure I understand," Riva said slowly, watching as the boys all burst into laughter. Stokely sighed and caught Riva's eyes, "Don't worry about it Riva. They're all morons."  
  
"But he didn't finish the joke according to the knock-knock joke pattern."  
  
"Like I said, don't worry about it. Let's put a movie in, I got The Terminator and Star Wars."  
  
They put in a video, finally quieting down to watch the show. Though, half way through, Zeke muttered "Moo" and the boys were sent into laughter all over again, leaving Riva with a blank expression and Stokely rolling her eyes.  
  
A/N: This is actually a really pointless chapter, but I had fun writing it. I just wanted to convey the idea that the "alien destroying group" have a monthly ritual of getting together to have pizza and movies. Also, the fact that a lot of time has passed since the last chapter. Thanks again for the reviews! 


	10. Substitue Teacher

Substitute Teacher  
  
Stokely couldn't wipe the smile off her face as she leaned against Stan's locker, books clutched in one arm, the other free hand spinning the combination. It popped open under her deft fingers, and she grimaced, what a slob. She made a mental note to yell at her boyfriend about it as she reached for his jacket, digging through the pockets.  
  
"Hey Stok-what are you doing? That's my money!"  
  
"You owe me."  
  
"I.do? For what?"  
  
"The bet. Besides you were going to spend it on a present for me anyway, right?"  
  
"Of course.wait, what bet?"  
  
Stokely sighed, for wanting to be smarter; Stan could be really dumb sometimes. She pocketed the wad of cash, before turning to him with a roll of her eyes, "Mr. Will and Miss Slyder. They ran off together this weekend, it finally happened."  
  
It had been the main gossip after the whole alien thing settled down and became "yesterday's news". The new biology teacher, Miss Slider, obviously had a thing for Mr. Will. Stokely had made a bet how long it would take the two to finally run off and elope together. Honestly, she had been hoping it was soon; the way the two acted in the halls was disgusting. She'd often yell, "Get a room!" at the two teachers while passing through the halls.  
  
Stan was still looking at her blankly, until she finally snapped her fingers in his face. "Don't look so surprised Stan, I always win my bets. I'll see you at lunch, okay?" She pecked him a kiss on the cheek before heading off to pick up Riva on the way to their next class. The alien girl was rather confused as she fell into step beside Stokely, "What is this gossip everyone is talking about? Our teachers have gone off and eloped? Please explain Stokely Mitchell."  
  
"Only Stokely, remember? We talked about only using the first name."  
  
"Oh, you are correct. Please explain this Stokely."  
  
"I will when you're older."  
  
The two girls entered into the class, finding their usual seats beside Casey near the back row. "Then what is a sub?" Riva wondered, placing her books on the desk and dropping into her seat beside the blue-eyed boy. Casey frowned, "A submarine?"  
  
"No, moron. She's talking about a substitute teacher," Stokely replied, taking a seat beside them and twisting around to face Riva, "A sub is a teacher that takes the place of the usual teacher. Since Miss Slyder ran off, we'll have another teacher, a sub, in her place. In other words, don't plan on having homework all week."  
  
Riva grinned, "I think I will enjoy this sub." Casey chuckled, ducking as a paper airplane dive-bombed for his head. Stokely snatched it up, whirling to glare at the group of boys who were throwing the spit wads and airplanes at them. She stood, stalking over to them, ready to wipe the smirks right off their faces.  
  
Casey laughed again as he watched Stokely before turning to Riva, "So, what did." his voce trailed off when he saw the look on her face. It was stricken white, lines of concentration appearing on her forehead, her eyes closed tightly. "Riva?" He asked uncertainly, gently tapping her shoulder. He glanced nervously around, hoping desperately that none of the other students would notice the alien's translucent-like eyelids.  
  
Suddenly, Riva's eyes flew open with a gasp, her body trembling. Her eyes flew to the doorway where the teacher stood framed in it. She was a young woman, no older than thirty, with a pair of wire-rimmed glasses perched on her small nose. She had long blonde hair pulled back into a braid, dropping to her lower back, and mesmerizing aquamarine eyes. Riva was shaking, unable to tear her eyes away from the teacher, her face drawn in pain and fear. Casey was growing nervous, shaking her shoulders, "Riva! Riva, what's wrong?"  
  
"Hello class, I am Miss Levinson, and I'll be your teacher today," the woman said, taking a step into the room. Her eyes scanned the room: Stokely staring down a set of boys, girls giggling about gossip, then Riva and Casey. Her eyes paused on the two, narrowing slightly, with a tiny smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "If you'd all take your seats, please," she said in a soft voice that resonated off the walls, her intense gaze still falling on Riva. Casey licked his lips nervously, catching Stokely's eye and questioning look, only able to offer a shrug for an answer.  
  
Miss Levinson walked into the room, her heels clicking loudly along the floor, pausing to set a small stack of books on the desk. Riva was trembling uncontrollably now, one hand clutching the side of her head as if in pain. "Are you okay?" Casey whispered, watching, wondering what to do. Riva shook her head, once again squeezing her eyes shut, the other hand jerking up to grab the other side of her head.  
  
The teacher perched on the edge of the desk, taking another quick scan of the class before once more landing on Riva, the odd smile still pulling on her mouth. That's when Riva jumped up screaming. Casey flinched, nearly falling out of his desk; the rest of the class whirled around to stare at Riva. The girl's eyes were wide now, both hands pressed against her head, screaming as if in agony. She tore out of the room blindly, ignoring Casey's yells to come back.  
  
Miss Levinson never blinked during the whole ordeal, though her crocked smile was now planted firmly on her face. Stokley stood to go chase after Riva but the substitute stopped her with the soft, commanding voice, "Wait. Tell me, what was her name?"  
  
Stokely paused, shooting a look at Casey, before muttering, "Uh, it's Meg. Her name is Meg." She wasn't sure why she lied, there was no real reason to, but something in her gut told her to. Miss Levinson's intense gaze was boring into her now, but she mirrored the look defiantly. "Tell me, what is your name?"  
  
"Stokely," she replied in a low tone. If she had lied about her name, one of the other students would have made sure to correct the teacher anyway. "Well Stokely, I believe I told the class to take their seats."  
  
Stokley didn't move, "But Ri-Meg, she just ran out of here screaming. Or maybe you missed that."  
  
"She'll be fine, now sit." Something in the woman's voice made Stokely stiffly sink into her chair. Casey glared at the teacher, "Shouldn't someone go and check on her? She was screaming, didn't you hear her?"  
  
"Silence!" She barked, standing for emphasis. The students in the front row jumped. "What's your name?"  
  
"Uh," he frowned, not as eager to give up his name. Gabe, who had been silently watching the whole ordeal, quickly spoke up, "His name is Casey, ma'am. Casey Connor." Casey glared at him, but the football captain smiled innocently back. Miss Levinson's eyes flashed when she heard his name, but she covered it up by wheeling on Gabe, "I don't remember asking you for his name. Now keep your mouth closed the rest of this hour and start studying!"  
  
The whole class immediately obeyed, whipping out books and stuffing their noses into them. Casey looked worriedly out into the hall, listening intently for any sound of Riva, but found none. He sighed, looking forward to see Miss Levinson eyeing him, almost angrily out of hate or spite. He frowned, why would she hate him? Because he was worried about his friend? Then screw her.  
  
Slowly Casey returned to his studies, ignoring Stokley's dark threats muttered under her breath, and ignoring the hated look he was receiving from the teacher. It was going to be a long day.  
  
A/N: Been awhile since I updated, oh well, I've been busy with moving. So, I'm back on track with the story plot now, yay! And by the way, Happy Easter to everyone! (especially to those who review. lol, jk) 


	11. A Ride Home

The Last Invasion  
  
A Ride Home  
  
"So she just ran out screaming?" Zeke repeated, a look of disbelief on his face. Casey nodded, "Yeah, Stokely saw it to. It was the weirdest thing I've ever seen Riva do." "Riva can do some pretty funky stuff."  
  
"Yeah, but never like this. She looked terrified, as if in pain. She didn't seem to like the substitute teacher very well, either, but I can't blame her. Miss Miller is seriously scary," Casey shuttered, grabbing his mocha and jugging it down as if it would drown the bad memories. Zeke sighed as he leaned into the plush chair, flipping through a book boredly. Their homework lay sprawled on the table before the two boys at Borders bookstore. Casey concentrated on his intently; eager to get it down while Zeke scribbled careless answers down. Thankfully, they were nearly done.  
  
"Do you think she's alright? Wasn't she suppose to meet us here?" Zeke muttered between the pencil head he gnawed on thoughtfully. Casey glanced up and shrugged, "I don't know. I called her earlier, and went over to her house, but I couldn't find a sign of life over there. She had said she'd meet us here," he glanced as his watch frowning, "three hours ago. But that was before the whole run-out-of-the-class-screaming incident."  
  
Zeke slammed his book closed then stuffed it into his book bag while standing, "Obviously, she isn't coming. I wouldn't worry about her, yet, Case. Maybe it's an alien PMS thing."  
  
Casey's eyes widened and the other boy chuckled, "Come on, let's go. The store closes soon." He swung his bag over his shoulders and drew the keys to his GTO out while heading to the exit. Casey scrambled to collect his homework, throw away his trash, and catch up with Zeke, all while digging in his pocket for his cell phone.  
  
The night was crisp and clear as Zeke stepped outside. A stiff wind blew his hair into his face, which he aggregately shoved back while scanning the nearly empty parking lot. He could spot his car a mile away; after all, it was his baby. That, and it looked like it belonged in a junkyard having slammed into a bus. Bad memory, he grimaced, recalling the sight of his teacher's head lying decapitated on the ground.  
  
He turned as Casey blundered out beside him, balancing his books in one arm, dialing a phone with the other. "Who are you calling?" Zeke asked starting for his car. "My uncle Matt, let him know I'm on my way home," the blue eyed boy replied then stopped and cursed, "I left my bag in the store. I'll be right back." Zeke snickered as Casey sprinted away, a stray paper escaping his grasp. Poor kid was a klutz, even as a senior.  
  
He lazily strolled across the lot to pick up the paper that floated across the breeze. Bending, he snatched it up when a shadow fell across his path. He glanced up and frowned, "What are you doing here?" Then there was a thud as his body hit the ground limply.  
  
Casey scurried between the rows of shelves stocked with books. The overhead lights were dimmed, a not-to-subtle hint to scram because the shop was closing. He hurried to where he and Zeke had been sitting in two plush leather chairs near a large coffee table. There it was, oh great, an employee was picking it up. "Uh, hey, that's my bag!" He called, jogging up to the clerk, reaching out for his bag. The man shot him a nasty glare, "Here. The store is closed."  
  
"Yeah, uh, I know. Sorry." He quickly dropped his school supplies into the bag and slung it around his neck, shying away from the clerk's evil glare. Muttering darkly beneath his breath, Casey retraced his steps to the doors leading outside. The parking lot looked eerie, nearly empty except for Zeke's trashed GTO and a large van parked off to the side. He glanced around for Zeke, wondering where his companion could be, since he wasn't in his car.  
  
"Zeke?"  
  
He headed slowly to the car, glancing into each cracked window. The only thing in there was a bunch of crumpled fast food wrappers. He straightened and searched the area carefully.  
  
"This isn't funny, Zeke. Where are you?"  
  
He withdrew his cell phone, about to give up and call Matt for a ride, when he caught sight of movement from the corner of his eye. There, in the alley beside Borders, where the dumpsters were kept, he heard scuffling. "Very funny, Zeke, let's play hide and seek," he mumbled dryly, heading towards the alley. It was dim except for the lonely streetlight that barely illuminated the dark corners. Casey paused beside the dumpster, then recoiled from the smell, "Come on man, I need to get home. What are you doing? Making out with the rats?"  
  
He heard movement behind him and whirled around. He searched the darkness warily, desperately, a bad feeling growing in the pit of his stomach. "Forget it, I'll get a ride," he said as he turned on his cell phone. Nearly running, he began to leave the alley when something collided with the back of his head. It was sharp, like a hot knife being pulled across his skin, burning his blood. Everything began to blur and twist, swimming before his eyes, and he dully noted that the blacktop was racing to meet his face.  
  
As he lost all sense of consciousness, he heard the distant sound of his cell phone beeping. But suddenly, getting a ride home wasn't that big of a priority.  
  
A.N: Thank you all for the reviews! You're all to nice to me! * sob * But seriously, I really do appreaciate them all. It's what motivates me to write. I've just started a few new stories, so it may be a bit longer between updates. Plus, I'm rather busy with our new puppy: Oliver. ^-^ But just so you know, this is finally on track, and I've got the plot laid out in my head. Well, most of it. Anyway, hope you enjoy! 


	12. Where's Riva?

The Last Invasion  
  
Where's Riva?  
  
Ouch. No, really big ouch. Everything hurt, and anything that didn't hurt, was numb. So, everything was in pain and numb. Well, that certainly didn't make sense. Then again, having this whole conversation in one's head didn't make a whole lot of sense anyway. Wake up now, Case.  
  
Grudgingly, the boy obeyed himself, lifting one heavy eyelid. He slammed it closed, scared at the sight of the whole room spinning unnaturally fast. With a gulp of air, he reopened his eye, then the other, staring. He was laying on cement, damp from rain, a thick smell of mildew in the air. He lifted his head slowly, ignoring the wave of nausea that washed over him at any movement, to peer around his dim surroundings. Only one conclusion came to mind: he was lying in a decaying aboveground parking deck.  
  
That couldn't be right, how had he gotten here? He twisted his head to the right, seeing only more parking deck, and to the left, a crumbling wall that allowed him to see the brisk night air. There was only one crumbling deck he could think of in the city, and that was down in the warehouse district, and no body went down there. Moving carefully, he sat up, the nausea decreasing as long as he moved slowly. But the pain was there; it seemed concentrated right on the nape of his neck.  
  
Casey gingerly touched there, feeling a warm liquid matting his hair. He walked to the edge of the deck, next to the crumbling wall, and stared at his fingers in horror. They were covered in blood, his blood. Then a flash of memories flooded his mind: doing homework at Borders, going outside, Zeke missing, then darkness. Zeke. Where was he?  
  
"Zeke?" He called hoarsely, his voice rough and scratchy. Clearing his throat, Casey tried again, "Zeke!" The missing boy didn't answer, but someone did, "He isn't here." Casey whirled around, nearly fell over from such harsh movements, and then nearly screamed, "Miss Levinson? What in the hell are you doing here?"  
  
She smiled thinly, a cold smile that sent chills up and down Casey's spine. He backed up until he hit the crumbling wall as Miss Levinson advanced on him. Her eyes were a flame, locked entirely on his, as she paused inches from his face, "How are you feeling?" Somehow, Casey got the feeling she really didn't care.  
  
He slid by her, backing up into the empty garage. "What are you doing here? Where's Zeke?" He persisted, another step back as she turned in his direction. She was looking beyond him, at something behind him, and he whirled around before bumping into someone else. It was a man, tall and well built, resembling Miss Levinson. His hair was short, a clean blonde shade, and his eyes held the same teal color as the teacher.  
  
Casey stumbled back, but the man was quicker, grabbing his forearm in an iron tight grip. Miss Levinson walked over, cupping Casey's chin in her fingers, the manicured nails digging into his skin, "Tell me, Casey, how are you feeling?" He shook his head, but she held on firmly, forcing him to stare into her eyes. His blue eyes slid over to the man, his face remained neutral, almost bored. He received a rough shake from the teacher when he didn't answer, a sickening wave of the nausea coming back. "I don't feel well," he mumbled, voice slurring.  
  
"Hm," she glanced up at the man, dropping Casey's chin, "The other one hasn't woken up. Perhaps we put to much in him."  
  
"Into who? To much what?"  
  
"It's possible. I don't think Marian gave this one as much. It doesn't matter, if he dies, he dies."  
  
"Zeke! Are you talking about Zeke?"  
  
"I guess. But what if this one doesn't talk?"  
  
"We'll make him," the man replied with a nasty grin aimed at Casey. The boy felt his stomach drop, not from nausea but fear. Miss Levinson placed a hand on the man's arm, "Now, now, Henry. Let's not scare him, yet." She glanced at the blue-eyed boy, smiled sweetly, something that didn't look at home on her face. "Now tell me, Casey, where is Riva?"  
  
Riva? Casey blanked, they were looking for Riva? What about Zeke? What happened to Zeke? "I don't know where she is," he replied slowly, face wrinkled from confusion. The smile remained plastered on her face, "Casey, you can avoid a whole lot of pain if you just tell me where the girl is."  
  
"I told you, I don't know. Where's Zeke?" He yelped as Henry's grip tightened around his arm, twisting it painfully behind his back. Miss Levinson's smile vanished completely, the cold hard glare replacing it as she once again snatched his chin, "Wrong answer. You tell me where Riva is and I'll tell you where Zeke is."  
  
Casey's mind raced, all in the wrong directions. Everything on his body was numb, except for his twisted arm; it throbbed. "I don't know where she is, honest! Why are you looking for her?" There were so many questions floating through his head, he couldn't keep track of one, when they all flew out the window as he was wrenched to his knees.  
  
Henry gave a vicious yank to his arm, which was followed by a loud, sickening crack. Casey dully realized that his arm had just been broken. He recalled breaking his arm as a little kid, when riding his bike. It had hurt a lot, but not like this. This was horrible, nearly unbearable, to the point he had fallen to his knees. His arm felt on fire, he could feel each pump of his heart sending out burning blood through his body, dots swam in his vision. He hadn't even realized he'd been screaming until Miss Levinson had clamped a hand over his mouth.  
  
Not a drop of concern or pity covered her face as she locked her eyes with his, "I'm sure that must hurt. The thing we knocked you out with, it heightens the pain, can you tell?" She chuckled darkly while kneeling beside him, "Just tell me where Riva is, that's all we ask. Either that, or I'm sure Henry wouldn't mind breaking a few more fragile human bones." Casey barely heard what she was saying, all he could think about was the excruciating pain in his arm, the way it hung at an unnatural angle beside him. He felt two heavy hands fall on his shoulders, yanking him up onto two unsteady feet. "Where's Zeke?" He murmured, head lolling to one side.  
  
Miss Levinson sighed, seeing that she might not get an answer out of him. "Zeke is most likely dead." Casey didn't hear her, the word Zeke and dead echoing through his brain, over and over. "We injected him with to much, it seemed to overload him. He hasn't woken up yet."  
  
"Who are you really?" Casey whispered, his head straightening. He pushed Zeke from his mind; there would be more time for him later. Miss Levinson smiled thinly, and he heard a chuckle from Henry, "Haven't you figured it out, human?" Casey shook his head weakly, but an unspoken fear began to grow. Three months. That's what Riva had said. It had been three months. When Casey glanced up at the teacher, she was no longer standing there.  
  
Instead, a monster was in her place. She towered above him, a mass of tentacles, a grinning mouth lined with rows of sharp teeth. Casey recoiled into Henry, who remained in human form, thankfully. The memory of Mary Beth, in her true form, raced through Casey. The heart pounding chase through the locker room, squeezing through the bleachers as they slammed shut.  
  
But Miss Levinson was different in some aspects; she had two thick tentacles, larger then the rest that secreted a green slime on the ends. She nodded to Henry, who tightened his grip around Casey's shoulders, "Tell me where she is."  
  
"I don't know!" The boy yelped, struggling to stop his body from trembling as the alien advanced. One of the larger tentacles raised and slapped across his face, drawing a line of blood from his left cheekbone down to his chin. It also left a trail of slime that soaked into the wound on his face, bringing fresh pain.  
  
He fell again, no longer able to stand from the pain. He clutched his face with his one good hand, desperately trying to wipe away the slime that was causing this pain. In the back of his mind, he realized that the tentacles, sharp as needles, were what knocked him out in the first place. It felt like years ago.  
  
"I don't know where Riva is! She ran off during school! I haven't seen her since! Oh god, make the pain stop!" He screamed, feeling tears sliding down from his eyes. They touched the bloody line, seeped in, bringing a cooling sensation. He looked up at Miss Levinson again, once again a human, as she bent down beside him. She inspected her job then waved.  
  
Why is she waving? Casey wondered, falling back. It was his last conscious thought.  
  
A.N: Yup, another cliffhanger. Yup, I'm evil. Mwaha. Poor Casey sounds like he could use some Tylenol. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, I love you all! Hugs for all! 


	13. Marian

The Last Invasion  
  
Marian  
  
* Warning * A bit graphic and much violence. If you didn't like the last chapter, I don't recommend reading this one!  
  
He groaned, a noise that echoed through the darkness he was engulfed in. He was afraid to open his eyes, afraid to look at the world, feeling safe within the unconscious world he was submerged in. Here there wasn't pain, but he knew, just knew, there would be unbearable pain the moment he awoke.  
  
Damn, just woke up. Now, here came the pain. It washed over him like tidal waves, worse with each one, building up until he was forced to open his eyes. He was staring at pavement, nose pressed against it, apparently lying flat on his stomach. There was a bad taste in his mouth, a lot like salt. He rolled onto his side; a movement to fast for his sick body, and promptly threw up.  
  
"That's just disgusting," he spat, wiping at his mouth but wincing. Gingerly, he touched his lip and found it split open in a nasty gash, dried blood caking it. His hand traveled quickly over the rest of his face, feeling large bruises and cuts there as well. Without bothering to check, he knew the rest of his body was covered in them too. Now of answering the raised question of: how did he get so beat up?  
  
Then the memories returned, flashing across his mind like lightning. Borders. Parking lot. Pain on the neck, then blacking out. Then waking up here, in the Borders parking lot. He frowned, his brows furrowing in concentration. No, he had forgotten something in between blacking out and waking up. It felt like a dream, more like a nightmare, but now he was beginning to worry it was real . . .  
  
He opened his eyes stiffly, feeling them loll around a few times before finally coming into focus. He blinked several times, not believing the surroundings he was in and wondering how he got here. He was propped up against a cement wall, staring down a set of stairs, crumbled and decaying. It looked like a stair well in a parking deck.  
  
He pushed against the wall to stand up, but realized his body had not responded. He tried to move his legs, no response. Same with his legs and torso. The only thing that responded was from his neck above. He cursed several times until a door beside him creaked open.  
  
A young girl emerged, perhaps his age if not a few years older. She was a knock out, standing a head shorter than he was, but a full figure clad in clothes that accented her every female aspect. Her blonde hair was pulled back from her tanned face, but a few stubborn strands framed the sides, falling into her dark eyes that were fixated on his face. He was hit with a feeling of déjà vu, but ignored it. Suddenly, he wanted nothing more than to be able to move. Instead, he flashed his most charming smile as the girl walked over to him, squatting beside him.  
  
He looked at her, surprised by the cold edge in her eyes. "Do you know where you are?" she asked while roughly grabbing his head, twisting to inspect his neck. He flinched and bit his lip to keep from crying out from the stabbing pain. It felt like all his numbing sickness was concentrated on that spot, at the nape of his neck. "No, is it your house?" He asked with a bit too much hopefulness. Sure, it was odd for her to have a cement staircase in her house, but he didn't mind as long as he got to be with her.  
  
She seemed to be ignoring him, jabbing a finger at the concentrated spot of pain. This time he couldn't bite back a cry and a curse, his eyes squeezing shut against the tidal wave of torment. The girl's head cocked as she leaned him back against the wall, studying his eyes, "Do you know who you are?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm Zeke. And you are?"  
  
"Marian."  
  
"Pretty name, Marian. The pleasure is certainly mine."  
  
"Cut the crap, human." She snapped, the cold edge creeping back into her eyes. Zeke frowned, the word human echoing through his mind. Either he got a hit on the head harder than he thought, and people went around calling each other 'human' or.  
  
"Oh my god. You aren't, uh, are you?" A smile appeared on Marian's face, a cruel look that he didn't like one bit. Suddenly the urge to be at her house left him, wishing now he was anywhere but here. She patted his head and straightened up, "Not to bad. You're much quicker than your other friend, Zeke." She spat out the last word, looking down at him.  
  
Zeke searched his mind desperately for who she might mean by other friend. Casey, oh no. "Where is he? Did you hurt him?" he demanded, shooting a glare up at her. She ignored him as she moved around to stand in front of him, "The other one is indisposed."  
  
"Indisposed?"  
  
"He's answering the questions I'm about to ask you." She replied quickly with a glare of impatience, "Now tell me where Riva is and I'll let you see him." Her voice was as casual as an everyday conversation, but her eyes were intensely locked onto his. Zeke narrowed his eyes, replying with a snarl, "You want to kill her, don't you? You're mad she got away and is helping us." Marian's face tilted to one side, "So she is helping you, then."  
  
Zeke silently cursed himself several times. "Why don't you just make me one of your hosts and extract the information?" he snapped, watching warily as she got on her knees, starting to climb up his legs. He grunted as she landed roughly in his lap, slender legs wrapping around his waist. Oh why did they always have to be an alien? He wondered to himself as she leaned forward to whisper in his ear, "Because it might destroy you in the process, Zeke, especially if you resist. And I have something much better in store for you than to have your memories ripped out."  
  
Her breath was hot and clammy against his ear and throat, but sending chills up and down his spine. Maybe it was her cruel, hard tone of voice. He felt her nibble his earlobe, adjusting herself on his lap, "Now tell me Zekey, where is she? I want to know so bad." A manicured finger traced its way from his cheek down his chest, leaving a trail of goose bumps. He fought every hormone in his body as he croaked out, "I won't tell you Marian."  
  
"Are you sure, Zeke? Do you want to be on my bad side?" The sultry, sexy tone began to leave her voice, replaced with the cold one. Gritting his teeth, the boy replied shortly, "Yes." Marian gave a brisk nod, and then shifted her weight so that it was now her knee digging into his lap. He gasped, eyes bulging, a string of curses following. Marian traced her fingers over his face, "You see, you are going to tell me where Riva is, Zeke. Even if it means I have to do it the fun way, but I enjoy it so much more that way."  
  
Her knee pressed harder until it pulled a yell from his throat, and then slowly, painfully let up on the pressure. Zeke fought back the burning tears that sprang to his eyes as Marian eased herself up. "Another chance, human," she warned, a slow smirk crossing her dazzling features. She stood and slapped him with the back of her hand, "Take it fool!" With each word she hit him across the face, until blood spilled from several gashes on his face.  
  
The boy pressed his lips together tightly, afraid he might scream more than give up Riva's location. Marian's hand wrapped tightly around his hair to yank his head up so he was forced to look into her eyes, "Just tell me where Riva is, and you can leave."  
  
He shook his head, determined now, "No." She smiled sweetly, then pressed her lips tightly against his, pulling away slowly, lingering. "Last chance, Zeke," she whispered, searching his face carefully. She didn't like what she saw.  
  
"Fuck off."  
  
Marian nodded, "Very well." One hand wrapped around the collar of his shirt, the other grabbing a tuft of hair. He was yanked roughly onto unsteady legs, but wasn't given the chance to find his balance before being hurled down the cement stairs. He felt each step with a jarring thud, which rattled his entire body. Slamming into the wall, his rolling was stopped as his head cracked against the cold ground. Zeke slowly lifted his head with a moan, seeing a blurred vision of Marian descending the stairs towards him.  
  
In the back of his mind he registered screaming, but it wasn't him screaming. Or Marian. It echoed through the stairwell, reverting endlessly. Marian sat beside him as she listened to the sound of the screams, as if it were beautiful music. She smiled down at him, "It seems Casey wasn't willing to talk either." Her arm began to twist and melt away to reveal a long tentacle dripping in green slime. Zeke barely had time to recoil before she jabbed the needle-like end into his neck and everything faded away . . .  
  
It had all seemed like a dream, maybe caused by a really bad hangover. Somehow, Zeke couldn't quite convince himself of that. Sighing, he shoved himself up to his knees, scanning the empty parking lot. A neon sign flicked above him, advertising the location of the Borders bookstore. His car was he left it, undisturbed, except for a lump lying beside it. He staggered to his feet, leaning against the brick wall until he found his balance enough to stumble over to the heap.  
  
"Oh my god," he whispered as he stared down at Casey. His arm hung at an unnatural angle, his face pale, breath coming in short gasps. Beside him was a broken cell phone, broken neatly into two halves. Zeke cursed and squatted next to his friend, finding a pulse before carefully loading the boy into the passenger side of his car and driving off at high speeds.  
  
A.N: Yeah, a bit graphic like I warned. Not so much as a cliffhanger, yay, right? And look, Zeke lives! For now. . . mwhaha. Anyway, thank you to everyone who reviewed, and I hope you enjoyed! 


	14. Senior Year

The Last Invasion  
  
Senior Year  
  
Stokely felt her jaw drop as she pressed the phone to her ear. She had been surprised when he had called at midnight; her mom was still walking down the hall muttering darkly that Josie, Jake, and Jeff had woken up. She rolled her eyes as she heard the triplets giggling in their bedroom.  
  
".I'll explain more later, the doctor is coming."  
  
"Yeah, I'll be there." She dropped the phone and stood from the bed. She snatched her cell phone from the dresser while creeping into the hall. "Where do you think you're going?" Betsy Mitchell snapped, hands on the hips of her nightgown. "Uh, hi mom, I need to go help Zeke."  
  
"Help Zeke."  
  
"Yeah.he has a flat tire."  
  
Betsy eyed her daughter suspiciously then nodded, "Alright, but bring your cell phone. Take your father's car."  
  
"Thanks Mom!" Stokely kissed her mother then scurried down the stairs, dialing Stan's number.  
  
- - -  
  
"Where am I?" he asked through a slurred, cracked voice. When cracking his eyes open, all he saw was blurred objects, hushed voices whispering nearby. He wished they'd come closer so he could see who it was, even though they'd probably be just a blur of color. He sighed, twisting on the bed then yelping.  
  
"He's finally awake," one of the voices said before a face appeared in his vision. "How are you feeling, son? No, don't move. Do you remember your name?" He nodded, flinched, "Yes. I'm Casey. And who are you?"  
  
The voice didn't reply at first, he could hear more whispering going on then the blurred face reappeared in his line of sight. Casey gladly noted he could start to make out details like a glasses and an unshaven face. "Do you remember what happened to you, Mr. Conners?" The boy was about to ask how this stranger knew his last name when it hit him: the memories.  
  
Miss Levinson, Henry, pain, the sick sound of his arm being broken, screaming. Screaming again, "I won't! I won't tell you! You'll never get Riva!" He recoiled, ignoring the flash of nausea that hit him like a blow to the stomach. He heard another, familiar voice, "Case. Casey, don't move, you'll hurt yourself again!"  
  
There was a pause while he registered the voice, her face coming into clear focus, "Stokes?"  
  
"Yeah, Case, it's me. Stan's here to, and so-"  
  
"Zeke! Where's Zeke? Did you find his body, is he dead?"  
  
"No, and it's a shame too," she replied with a dry chuckle, then stopped when she saw that look that crossed the boy's features. She bit her lip uncertainly, taking his hand into hers, "Case?" There were tears brimming in his large blue eyes, threatening to spill over before he could blink them away. He sighed and twisted his head away so she couldn't see his face, but she did notice him relax into the pillows.  
  
"Where am I?" he asked quietly, tugging some blankets up over his shoulders. "In a hospital . . .sort of," Stokely replied, glancing around the room. The walls were painted a neutral color, with paint chipping off in places, but it vaguely resembled a hospital room. Casey's bed was more or less a cot with metal bars around the edges, but at least the machinery he was hooked up to seemed advanced and authentic.  
  
The boy frowned, turning his head to look at his friend. The tears were gone from his eyes, a blank vacant expression there now. Stokely grimaced at the sigh of a long scar running along his cheek, and the tube lopped under his nose didn't help the sight any. "What do you mean by sort of?"  
  
The man with the glasses and unshaven face, who had spoken earlier, stepped up to the bed. He was obviously a doctor by the stained white coat he wore, to the stethoscope hanging around his neck. He had shocking read hair that hung to his neck, and was rather scraggly looking except for a kind smile. "I guess you could call it a black-market hospital. No records are kept here." He said, glancing over the boy in the bed, grabbing his wrist to take a pulse.  
  
"How did I get here?" Casey asked, watching without interest as the doctor continued to check over him. "I brought you," Zeke said, appearing in the doorway, using Stan as a stabilizer. Stan waved and greeted Casey as he led the other to a chair, ignoring Zeke's angry protests. Casey stared at Zeke for several minutes, as if proving he was actually alive. At long last, he asked, "What happened?"  
  
The boy propped himself up in bed with Stokely's help, as she sat on the side of the bed, also to listen. Stan leaned against the wall, arms folded over his chest, looking warily out the hall. "I don't know what happened with you Casey boy, but I can only imagine it was a lot like my experience," Zeke said, touching the bandage around his head. His fingers lightly went over the large bruises that covered most of his face, as well as stitches on his lip, and forehead, and others hid by his clothing.  
  
"Riva was right, Mary Beth's parents are back, and they don't seem to happy. I think they know that Mary Beth is dead, because all Miriam- the girl who I . . .talked to- wanted to know was where Riva is. Remember she told us she had escaped slavery, because she dehydrated the controlling thing in her head? They know that, and I think they want her back. They know Casey and me; they know we knew Mary Beth. Stokes, and Stan, they might not know about you yet. Keep a low profile, especially at school. Miss Levinson will be watching, I'm sure."  
  
"How did you know she's one?" Casey asked, shuttering at the memories. "You were screaming about her in the car, and some guy named Henry," Zeke replied, glancing over his friend. He seemed the worse for the wear, with a cast around his arm, and a nasty scar across his face. "So anyway, I woke up in the parking lot, and there you were Case, still knocked out. I brought you here, to my good old pal, Doc. Frank. If I had brought you to a regular hospital, they would have asked question, and that's not what we need right now. We stay low until we can talk to Riva, and figure out some sort of plan," Zeke said, turning his gaze on the three.  
  
"We tried to call Riva, but she's not answering," Stan commented slowly, a look of apprehension crossing his face. Stokley stood, "I'll stop by the house on the way home. Maybe she didn't hear the phone." The worry was evident in her voice. Casey was frowning, staring down at the cast around his arm, flexing his fingers slowly, "Well this is how I wanted to spend my senior year."  
  
A.N: Apologies! I haven't updated in so very long and I'm terrible sorry. I've been on vacation, and down at the hospital all day. My grandma broke her hip (again) so I've been busy. Plus, I'm starting three new fics (for Pirates of the Caribbean) and yes, I'm insane. To many fics going on!! Agh!! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Reviews, as always, are accepted with the deepest gratitude. 


	15. Missing Delilah

The Last Invasion  
  
Missing Delilah  
  
Matt was not a happy camper. When Casey arrived home the next day, Matt had already planned out a long speech about calling before not coming home, but then the boy showed up with a cast wrapped around his arm. Plus a grizzly cut along his face. Every word of his speech left Matt's mind as he stared at his nephew.  
  
Casey smiled weakly, "Um, hi." Matt stuttered something that he hoped sound like a greeting. Stan stood beside Casey, ushering him in and onto a couch while Matt trailed behind. "I'll talk to you later, Casey. Don't worry for now, we'll call you later," Stan said before letting himself out.  
  
Matt lowered down onto a corner of the couch, staring. He leaves, comes back a day later with a broken arm. His mother would absolutely MURDER me, Matt thought despairingly. "It's not as bad as you think," Casey said, interrupting his uncle's thoughts. He forced a smile, leaning against the soft leather fabric.  
  
The night at the hospital had been full of planning, including a story to feed to the suspicious parents. Casey memorized it word for word. "When I was coming home, we got in a car accident. Calm down, it wasn't that bad. Well I mean, yeah, I broke my arm, and some glass scratched my face, but no one was seriously injured. I was in the hospital all night, and I didn't want to wake you up, so I didn't call. Sorry."  
  
The story was nearly fool proof. If Matt decided to check out the damage to Zeke's car; it certainly looked like it was recently in an accident with the crumpled front end and splintered windshield. Plus, as Zeke had pointed out, there had been plenty of accidents on the way home they could use as fake alibis. And, if any parents decided to do a follow up check, he had secured the story with Doctor Frank; just so no loose ends would be left. Now Casey waited with baited breaths as he studied his guardian's face, waiting for his reaction.  
  
"Uh, well, I'm just glad you're okay. Next time, wake me up and call, alright?"  
  
"Yeah, I promise. Sorry Uncle Matt."  
  
"It's alright Alienator," Casey tried not to cringe, "Why don't you go upstairs and rest for awhile. I'll order in some food or something." His nephew nodded, dragging his exhausted body up the steps, collapsing on his bed.  
  
---  
  
It was nearly a week before Matt was allowing Casey to journey outside the house besides school. Riva didn't appear once in school from that day on, but Stokley had passed around a note declaring a meeting on Friday. Casey sighed, crumpling the paper as he jammed it in his pocket, his eyes drifting over to the empty seat beside his. He found himself missing the alien, from her notebooks filled with notes to her naïve comments over the simple things. And he couldn't help but worry if something had happened to her, even though Stokely assured him she was okay.  
  
In his mind he could picture those mismatched eyes of hers, the way her dark hair fell across her sturdy shoulders-Casey jerked as he felt Miss Levinson's eyes fall on him. Immediately, the boy snapped his eyes away from the empty desk down to his notes. He could feel her eyes boring into him like drills, his hands tightened around his pencil, not noticing the crack as the wood split in too. Her heels clipped on the hard floor as she made her way through the rows of desks before finally pausing by his.  
  
Stokely's eyes narrowed as she cast a side ways glance at the teacher standing near Casey. Her hands immediately clenched into fists, the way she stared at him like a hunter cornering prey, it made her blood boil. She was saying something to him, bending over his desk, muttering something in a low voice. The boy was avoiding eye contact, instead just nodding and hunching over his desk. Stokely nearly lost it when Miss Levinson straightened, smiled coldly down on Casey and patted his head. The boy flinched as she leaped from her seat, snarling.  
  
Luckily, the bell rang a moment later, so other students standing to hurry off to lunch covered up her outburst. She snatched her book bag up when Casey caught her eyes, subtly shaking his head. He gave her another meaningful look that told her quite plainly to stay calm and back off before he began to gather his things slowly together. She slung the bag over her shoulder, allowing the last few students to trickle from the room as she carefully made her way towards the door. The teacher appeared beside her, flashing a forced smile, "If you'll excuse us, Miss Mitchell, Casey and I need to discuss some things." Without letting Stokely reply, she promptly slammed the door shut in the girl's face. She cursed the teacher before pressing her ear against the door to no avail, she couldn't hear a word.  
  
Miss Levinson turned deliberately from the door, fixing her student with that fake smile. Casey was sitting rigidly at his desk; his eyes locked ahead, his hands in his lap. "How's your arm?" she asked as she made her way leisurely towards him, a small smirk playing across her features. He never glanced at her, "It's fine, thanks." She was right beside him, uncomfortably close.  
  
"Heard from Riva lately? She's missed quite a bit of school, is she sick?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"Oh surely you must know. She couldn't have possibly just disappeared off the face of this planet like she did last time. You see, Casey, I really must speak with her about, oh what did you call her. Yes, I remember, Mary Beth." Miss Levinson's hand was hovering around his shoulders, occasionally a nail digging over the nape of his neck. His jaw clenched, he had been positive that they knew that, "Mary Beth is dead."  
  
"Dead? Oh my dear boy, we Atlantians don't just die. Hasn't Riva completely explained this to you? You may kill the main body, but a single pod will be left behind. Oh, I see that you're dear Riva hasn't explained this yet. Has she told you that she is in procession of all that is left of Mary Beth? No? How very odd, she being your close friend and all." The teacher was behind him, whispering into his ear, her breath hot and clammy on his ears. He struggled to keep his face expressionless, but his mind whirled unbearably fast. "I want that pod, Casey. Do you understand?" Her hand was tightening over his neck; he squirmed, edging out of the chair. Her fingers released him then began to travel around to his chin before tracing the scar that ran down his face, the scar she had given him.  
  
He jerked back, grabbing his bag while standing, "I need to go." She slowly pulled her hand away, nodding and sitting on a desk, "Of course. Oh, and before I forget, you have a week's worth of detention."  
  
"What? For what!"  
  
"Not turning in your assignments."  
  
"I've turned everything in!" He protested, jaw dropping angrily. She sneered as she made her way to the desk, grabbing a handful of papers, waving them about. He could see from the scrawled handwriting that they were his. She then unceremoniously dropped them in the wastebasket all while carefully watching his expression. "But-you can't just . . ." He fell silent; slowly raising his ice blue eyes to lock onto her cruel aqua shaded ones. "I'll have it to you by tomorrow," he said sharply, grimly smiled and left the room.  
  
Stokely was practically on top of the moment he was out, blurting out questions, shooting dark looks towards the room, dragging him towards his locker. Casey untangled himself from the girl by promising he'd tell her everything at lunch. At last she seemed satisfied, rushing off to collect her lunch and boyfriend. With a humorless chuckle, the boy spun the combination on his locker, squeaking it open to dump his things inside.  
  
"What happened to your arm? And your face, how'd you get that scar?"  
  
Slowly, barely breathing, he pulled out from his locker, looking into a set of liquid brown eyebrows, "Delilah, hi." The words stumbled from his mouth like a train off its tracks, suddenly he felt very self-conscious of everything: his shirt sloppily tucked in, hair dishelved, shoelaces undone. Yet the cheerleader didn't seem to notice, was she genuinely concerned? And if she was, should he tell her the truth? Casey opened his mouth though no words came out, he was staring at the skimpy outfit she was wearing, most likely she had a date tonight.  
  
She use to wear those outfits when we were dating, he thought bitterly.  
  
"Zeke and I were in a car accident. I broke my arm and some glass cut up my face." He said in a monotone voice as he turned back to his locker to rummage for his lunch. "That's an awfully clean cut for shattered glass to have done," Delilah murmured, then shot him a sideways look, "Where has your friend been, you're cousin, right? She wears a ton of eye make-up, a bit too much if you ask me. I was thinking of having her over, you know, a make-up party. I could show her how to actually wear eye shadow." Bam! Casey reacted to fast, slamming his head against the locker, searing pain blinding his eyesight. The eye shadow had been Stan's idea, in hopes to cover up Riva's translucent eyelids. If Delilah were to-she knew something was up. The way she was studying him with that cocky smile shifting her books to the other arm.  
  
Then, without warning, she was right beside him. Her body was warm as their skin brushed against each other's, oh shit, not that perfume, it was intoxicating. All Casey wanted to do was throw his arms around Delilah; never let go, their bodies pressed together forever. When she spoke her voice was low, sultry, and her lips seemed to pout out, "Casey . . .I miss you, Casey."  
  
Stop breathing Casey, it's the perfume! "I miss you too," he whispered, an arm creeping around her waist of it's own accord. He could feel hers making their way across his body, leaving a trail of shivers. Their heads were bending towards one another, lips burning when a shout startled them both. "Hey, Delilah! Are you coming?" The head cheerleader answered an affirmative while pulling out of the embrace. She ran a hand through her hair, smoothed her skirt with one hand, never looking above his knees.  
  
The boy cleared his throat awkwardly, "Delilah?" She flashed that award- winning smile, "I'll see you around, Case." Without another word, or glance, she retreated down the hall, grinning to herself as she felt Casey's eyes watching her every move. The boy sighed, sinking back against the lockers; the cold metal felt good against his hot flesh. Slowly, forcibly, he managed to stand, close his locker, and head off to the cafeteria with a small smirk on his face.  
  
But, unknown to the boy, a pair of eyes followed his every move as well.  
  
A.N: I HATE SCHOOL. Ok, sorry, had to get that out. Updates will be VERY SPACED. Between working and school, I have zero to no time to write. It's very frustrating, but please, keep reading! I'll TRY to update as much as possible. This chapter took a week to right with little 5 minute writing periods, and I don't even like the way it turned out. :( Oh well, I doubt there will be a whole bunch of more chapters. I really would like to complete this soon. So, if you have any questions about the story, start posting them and I'll try to answer them all. As usual, thanks so very much to everyone who reviewed, you're the only reason why I keep writing!! 


	16. Mary Beth's Return

The Last Invasion  
  
Mary Beth's Return  
  
Stokely sighed, arms folded across her chest, "If she didn't answer the phone, what makes you think she'll answer the door?" Stan stopped mid knock with his fist hovering over the door, glaring over his shoulder at the girl. "What do you want me to do, then? Break a window," he paused, straining a smile, "honey?"  
  
She rolled her eyes, dropping to the porch steps. They had been pounding and hollering on Riva's doorstep for fifteen minutes without so much of the alien's presence within. "I know she's in there, but she's scared Stan." Stoke leaned against her boyfriend's shoulder as he sat beside her. Stan nodded, resting his chin on her head, "Well, we have to talk to her. We don't have a lot of time either. Any ideas?"  
  
Stokely shook her head, and then froze, "Did you hear that?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Shut up," she hissed, craning forward to listen. Whirling around, she caught sight of the door creaking open wide enough for a hand to beckon them in. Stokely was up in an instant, dragging a questioning Stan behind her as she zipped through the door. It slammed shut behind them with Riva locking numerous, complex locks. The alien turned slowly to look at her friends, with a weak smile. "Greetings."  
  
Stokely and Stan stared at Riva, it seemed she had aged ten years in less than a week. She was considerably thinner, and her tan skin had a blue hue to it. Her hair was frazzled, sticking out at odd angles around her head and face, dropping into a set of dull eyes. "Riva, you look." Stan's voice trailed off, but Riva nodded. "I know, as you say, I've seen better days. We are not safe to speak up here, please follow me."  
  
She led the couple to a stairwell at the back of the house that led into the basement. The stairs were made of rotting wood, unstable and creaking. It took some coaxing on Stan's part to get the girl to creep down them, gripping the railing with white knuckles. Riva led them on into the dark basement without pausing even when the stairs gave a vicious creak, swaying from the strain of three bodies. Stokely yelped, gripping Stan's shoulders, "Aliens are suppose to have advanced technology, and we're going to die because of stupid stairs?"  
  
The boy laughed, gripped his girlfriend's wrist firmly and led her down the stairs to where Riva patiently awaited them. "I'm sorry about the stairs, Stokely. I suppose it would provided sufficient defense to hide the technology you spoke of though," Riva commented as she flipped on the lights, flooding the dark room with illumination of the largest computers either human had seen.  
  
Along the adjacent wall, and three quarters of the room was a huge computer console. Read outs and screens dotted the machine, as well as input devices at waist level. Stokes whistled in admiration, Stan stared wide-eyed, "What does it do?" Riva smiled proudly and patted the gleaming metal hull with her hand, hearing a dull reverting sound in effect. "It monitors Earth's atmosphere, collects data of all sorts. It organizes and categorizes the data for future use, when I wish to research something. It also watches the skies, and allows me to search for transmissions from other planets. Though I must admit, I've fried a few local earth transmissions, but nothing I couldn't fix."  
  
Stan began to slowly make his way across the computer, staring at all the knobs and keys on it, all foreign to him. He forced himself to stop and turn around when he heard a certain ahem from Stokely, catching the look in her eye. He glanced longingly at the computer, itching to play with the gizmos and find out the true potential of the machine, but other matters came first. "We need to talk Riva."  
  
The alien girl nodded solemnly, motioning to a doorway off the main room. The couple followed her into a simple room decorated with a few chairs, lamps and a large telescope facing the only window. Stokely wandered over to the window, craning her neck to peer up at the sky. The sun was still shining as brightly as ever, yet its rays didn't penetrate down to the basement they were in. Stan dropped into the nearest chair; waited patiently as Riva carefully choose the seat across from him. Stokely eventually returned to the chairs, leaning back into the plush fabric, eyeing her boyfriend then the alien.  
  
"I'm sure you know what happened to Casey and Zeke," Stan began slowly, choosing his words carefully. Riva nodded, "Yes, I intercepted a few messages the Atlantians had sent out. I believe they wanted me to be able to decode them, other wise I would have never been able to. I'm sorry they've gone after you instead."  
  
"It's not your fault, entirely. They've only gone after Case and Zeke so far, we aren't sure what they know about Stokes and me, and our involvement with Mary Beth. They want you mostly, I don't think they're too happy that you escaped, or something. But Miss Levinson, she said something about Atlantians never dying. That they always have a pod-I think that's the word- left behind." Stan paused, stole a glance at Stokely, then proceeded, "She said you have what's left of Mary Beth."  
  
Riva licked her lower lip uncertainly, a human habit she had picked up during her time on Earth. She stared intently at the floor, eyes downcast enough that her liquid eyelids shone in the lamp light, casting a slight glow on her cheeks. Stan and Stokely exchanged nervous glances, when the girl slowly raised her head, tears shimmering in her eyes. "It's true, I do have Mary Beth."  
  
"B-but why? Why didn't you tell us, Riva?" Stokely asked, her voice soft, soothing. She leaned forward, placing a reassuring hand on the alien's knee. Riva slowly moved her leg past Stokely's reach, "Because I knew if I told you, you'd want to destroy her!"  
  
"Of course we want it destroyed! We don't want Mary Beth coming back and taking over our world! And now look, we've got three other aliens like her breathing down our necks." Stan's words caught in his throat from a particularly nasty glare from his girlfriend. He caught the look in Riva's eyes, the fear, more tears brimming there.  
  
Riva stood, turning her back to the two. "I knew that's what you would say. I do not blame you. But what you don't understand is the relationship I had with Mary Beth. The Atlantians are my people's masters back home, and most of them are cruel and careless with us. But Mary Beth was different; she saw things differently than the other Atlantians. She trusted me with her deepest fears and secrets, and I with her. Don't you understand that? I couldn't let you kill her!"  
  
Stokely was up beside Riva, wrapping an arm across her shoulders, "It's alright, Riva! We understand. Here on Earth, Mary Beth would be what we call, a best friend. Listen, it's okay, really. Settle down and we'll talk." Slowly, Riva allowed herself to be led back to her chair and soothed by the human. When she had gained control, and apologized profusely for her behavior, Stan spoke again. This time, choosing his words more carefully.  
  
"I understand where you're coming from. And I'm sure you know where we're coming from. I'm not going to ask you where Mary Beth is; truth is, I don't want to know. But we need to know for sure, that the Atlantians won't get their hands on her. We need your promise that you will keep her safe from ever coming back and falling in the wrong hands. Can you at least do that?"  
  
There was a short pause before Riva nodded, "I promise that."  
  
Stokely and Stan grinned, "Great. Now, on to other matters."  
  
A.N.: As promised in the previous chapter, updates are limited. I've been very sick lately, and stressed. This is probably the worst chapter I've written! I've lost my touch for writing lately, so sorry about it. It's not long, I'll work on making the next one more interesting, better written, and longer. With Christmas coming up, I hope to have some more time on my hands to get better and write. Anyway, reviews will be gloriously received and thanks will be given multiple times. I'm rambling. 


	17. Delilah: Missing

The Last Invasion  
  
Delilah: Missing  
  
Casey awoke groggily, grumbling in his sleep. He rubbed his hands in his eyes, flinched as the cast bumped his nose, and then blinked the sleep away. Something had woken him up, what was it? He peered in the dark at his alarm clock, three in the morning. The boy sighed, and leaned back into his pillow, dismissing whatever it was that had upset him as a bad dream.  
  
"Casey!"  
  
The boy jolted up, eyes wide. He knew that voice, it was Riva, but where was she coming from? He scrambled to untangle himself from the sheets to stumble over to the window. The alien girl's house was dark, except for the small amount of light radiating from the basement, which was usually on whenever Casey checked. He glanced in each window for a sign of her, scratching at his head in confusion. Was he hearing things? Was it some weird after effect of the alien serum Miss Levinson had used on him? Automatically, his hand found it's way in the dark to trace the scar on his face.  
  
"Down here, Casey!" Riva's voice hissed, startling the boy. He took a step forward, landing on a sharp metal object. Biting down a curse, he squatted down to pick it up, when bright light radiated from the object. Casey gripped it in his hand, staring in wonder and awe. The object was perfectly smooth metal, which closely resembled a bullet.  
  
Great, someone was shooting at him. And not shooting normal bullets, but strange glowing ones. He was beginning to wonder if he were still asleep when Riva appeared from the bullet. Not actually Riva, but a tiny version of her, formed from the light the object was casting out. The boy's jaw dropped, just as the metal object fell from his useless hands.  
  
"Casey, please, listen to me!" The tiny Riva begged, staring up at him with those aqua eyes, just ten times smaller than usual. "What's going on?" Casey hissed, kneeling beside her. He picked up the bullet, staring at the alien image floating above it in disbelief. "It's a holomessanger. I will explain later, there is no time. You must come over immediately, something has happened."  
  
"What? Didn't you talk to Stan and Stokely tonight?"  
  
"Yes, they left several hours ago. Something has come up, and we must speak!"  
  
"This thing is so cool. Can you see a little version of me there?"  
  
"Casey!"  
  
"Right, sorry, I'll be right over."  
  
"Hurry, I believe time is of the essence."  
  
- - -  
  
Zeke had been sleeping quite well. Quite well, in fact. His parents were, as usual, somewhere else in the world; not that he cared. Felix was finally quiet since he had decided to feed it for once. And he had a date the following Saturday. Yes, Zeke Wells was sleeping well and having pleasant dreams of cheerleaders and making it as football captain.  
  
Then the stupid phone rang. He considered just pulling the cord from the wall, and dropping back into bed. Maybe he could get back to where he had left, where Sasha was personally congratulating him for his victory as captain, cheerleader to quarterback. Instead, he picked up the receiver and pressed it against his head. "What?" He growled, voice slurring instead of the threatening growl he had meant for.  
  
"You've got to come over here now, Zeke!"  
  
Casey, of course. That boy was far to high strung. "Calm down Casey boy. You sound like-"  
  
"Shut up, get dressed, and come to Riva's house! There's an emergency!" Zeke pulled back slightly, glaring at the phone. Casey had never spoken to him like that before, in fact, the kid had never spoken like that as far as Zeke knew. He bit back a smart aleck reply, forcing himself to calm down the hysterical boy. "Dude, chill. What's the problem?"  
  
"They've got her, Zeke! They kidnapped her!"  
  
"Who? What are you talking about?"  
  
"They've got Delilah!"  
  
- - -  
  
Riva had managed to calm Casey down by the time Stan, Stokely, and Zeke had arrived. He was sitting on the couch staring lifelessly out the window, hands clenched into tight fists. Stan frowned, glancing at his girlfriend, "I don't get it, why is he so upset? I thought she had broken up with him."  
  
"You can be such a moron, sometimes." Stokes replied, sitting beside Casey. Stan, knowing when he had something wrong or dumb, decided to place himself in another chair distanced from Stokely. Riva trailed after Zeke into the room, a small box clutched in her hands. "So, what's going on here, Riva? Casey wasn't exactly clear on the details," Zeke said, dropping on the other side of Casey.  
  
The alien frowned, lines of worry creased on her face. She set the box on the coffee table where they all could easily see it. It was a simple wooden box, sanded smooth and painted black. She lifted the lid and reached within, withdrawing a folded photo that she handed to Zeke.  
  
It was a picture of Delilah, but none that the small group had ever seen. A black handkerchief had been wadded and stuffed into her mouth, duck tape secured over it. She was seated on a chair, arms twisted back and held there by a pair of handcuffs. Her eyes were wide, filled with terror and stained with tears, running mascara. "Geez, I didn't know she was into that kind of stuff or else I would have dated her," Zeke commented.  
  
Several moments later, Stan was able to pull a swinging Casey off of Zeke. Zeke was cursing a blue streak, glaring at the boy and hollering about how much being hit by a cast hurt. Between Stokely and Riva, the two boys were calmed and placed in opposite chairs, sulking and glowering. Stokely smacked a bag of frozen vegetables over Zeke's swollen eye, drawing another string of curses from him. "What was that for?" he snarled, pulling the bag away to glare with his good eye.  
  
"Oops, it slipped." She replied snappishly, sitting in the chair. Riva waited until she was sure tempers had simmered before she spoke. She was worried the effects of stress were having over her human friends, as well as herself. "There was a message as well. I will play it, then translate." She said, reaching into the box again.  
  
"Hey, isn't that a bullet? Woah, it's glowing." Stan breathed, leaning forward eagerly. "Yes, it's what we call a holomessanger. It's the standard form of communication short-distances for most alien races," she replied briskly, twisting the top as the light increased. The form of an Atlantian appeared, a mass of tentacles and teeth. Even shrunken down to that size, it struck fear into the small group, which was evident on the gathered faces.  
  
A series of roars and growls issued from the creature's fanged mouth, leaving the humans clueless as to what was being said. Riva stopped the transmission as she saw the confusion on the other faces. "That was Marian, as you know her."  
  
Zeke couldn't repress a shutter.  
  
"She was saying that they have Delilah, and will kill her in two days if we don't give a response. They want Mary Beth in place of Delilah, and they want me to drop her off." Riva said slowly, staring sorrowfully around the faces. Before another could speak, she continued, "I will do this. I will not allow you're friend to be killed for my cowardice."  
  
"No way!" Stokely cried, jumping up, chorused by Zeke and Stan. "We're not just going to hand you over to them, Riva! We'll come up with a plan or something." Stan added, glancing at the other two then pausing when he caught sight of Casey. The boy was hunched in his seat, arms folded over his chest. Zeke was also adding his opinion when he trailed off until all eyes were on Casey.  
  
The boy slowly lifted his head, eyes locked on Riva. He was the only one who had not protested to her sacrifice, he was the only one not demanding she do that. Slowly, he stood. Riva was studying his face earnestly, searching it for something, a sign of any sort. Casey knew she would readily sacrifice herself for Delilah if he asked her to, not matter what the others said. It was either Delilah or Riva, what kind of sick choice was that?  
  
Delilah who had dumped him the moment he wasn't the popular thing to be hanging off her arm. Delilah who could intoxicate him with a single whiff of her perfume. Delilah with her shining eyes and priceless smile and model body.  
  
Or Riva, who was completely clueless and naive about the world. Riva who relied completely on him for guidance in the simplest things. Riva who had listened to his petty problems even when she didn't understand anything that was going on, but still pretended to care. No, not pretended, she really did care.  
  
"You aren't going, Riva. I'll take Mary Beth instead, but you aren't going to give yourself over to them like that." He said lowly, but he meant ever word. Riva's eyes shimmered, a tiny smile pulling at the edges of her lips. She nodded slowly, reaching out and giving his hand a tight squeeze. Zeke piped up, "I think I've got an idea that just might work."  
  
A.N.: Dun dun dun, and the plot thickens! And can you believe it? I updated in under a month. That's a reason to par-tay! Anyway, I'm feeling much better, thanks for asking guys! Exams are this week, ugh, I feel sick again. ^-^ Then Christmas break, which means lots of writing time. I might even have this story finished before 2004 gets here. Wow! Please start sending me your questions about plots and characters and stuff, just ask them in a review and I will have a questions and answer chapter at the very end. Thanks again, guys!! 


	18. Zeke's Secret Job

The Faculty II: The Last Invasion  
  
Zeke's Secret Job  
  
"Is that her?" Casey asked warily, staring at the glass tube clutched in Riva's hand. The alien nodded, sticking her arm out and opening her palm so he could see the contents of the clear tube; the boy staggered back at the sight of the shriveled up alien pod. She looked exactly the same as the day he had first found her when he had been wandering through the field during lunch.  
  
He eyed Mary Beth warily, "You sure no water will get in to her?"  
  
"Positive."  
  
"Alright, give her to me. Stan and Stokely are waiting for us outside." He took the tube in two fingers, jamming it into his pocket. Taking the lead, Casey arrived on Riva's front step, surveying the area quickly. It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining and only a handful of clouds sailed across the sky. He paused to soak in the fresh air, a part of him wondering if this would be the last chance he got to enjoy the soft breeze on his skin. In less than an hour, the confrontation of the Atlantians was going to take place, and no one could predict the outcome of that.  
  
"Come on Case," Stan called gravely from his Jeep Cherokee, motioning boy and alien over. Stokely sat unusually quiet in the front seat, staring out the window, but managing to muster a smile at the two as they clambered into the vehicle. "Got her?" Stan asked, twisting in the chair as Casey motioned to the cork topper of the tube that protruded from his pocket; the fact that Mary Beth was in the car was more then enough for Stan.  
  
"Let's get rid of her once and for all. Again." He murmured, glancing sideways at his girlfriend as he put the car in drive. The four rode in uncomfortable silence, each staring out the window at the world whizzing by. Casey found his thoughts bending towards Delilah, worrying how the cheerleader was, if the ropes were biting her tender flesh, if she was stricken with fear, if he'd be the one to come to her rescue heroically so that she'd swoon in his arms and pledge him her undying love. . . .  
  
Stan interrupted Casey's fantasy abruptly, "How do we get to this place again? It's called One World right?" Stokely nodded, pointing him around the next corner, "Yeah, I've been there a few times. I can't understand why Zeke would want us to meet him there. It's the sort of place where you read poetry while someone plays the bongos; everyone snaps instead of clapping."  
  
"Really? I've always wanted to go to place like that."  
  
"You are a true loser Casey."  
  
"Pull down that alley Stan, there's parking down there."  
  
The Jeep bounced over the potholes with jarring thuds, ceasing when Stan pulled into a spot next to Zeke's wounded GTO. Riva leaned against the glass window, peering at the other car, "He's not in there. Perhaps he is inside?"  
  
Stokely shrugged, turning at an angle where she could see the other three. Adapting a serious face, she spoke in the same manner, "Everyone remembers Zeke's plan, right? You stay in here Stan, make sure you have your walkie- talkie on. We'll signal you if it gets nasty in there, but mostly keep an eye out for Delilah. When we get inside, Riva, I want you to stay close to Casey and me. I'll do the talking," she glanced pointedly at Casey, "and we won't let any feelings get in the way. Got it?"  
  
"Yeah, yeah. Is Zeke going to meet us in there?"  
  
"I guess so. Let's go," Stokely leaned across the seat and plucked a kiss on Stan's lips before exiting the vehicle. Casey and Riva clambered out as well each one watching the surrounding area with an air of paranoia as they followed behind Stokley to the front of the coffee shop. The sides and windows of the building were painted in large colorful murals that, as far as Casey figured, were suppose to represent the inner tormented mind of the artist. It looked like a random swirl of colors to him. A bell dinged above the door as the trio entered, greeted by a dim interior.  
  
Soft lights cast a certain atmosphere around the place, each table topped with a flickering candle that barely shed enough light to read the menus. Casey squinted into the semi-darkness, searching the tables dotted with various occupants, but not finding the one he sought. "Where's Zeke? He's not in here."  
  
"Yes he is," Riva said, pointing, "behind the counter, wearing a hat." Stokley and Casey turned to follow the alien's finger, their jaws dropping as they spotted their friend working on fixing up a caramel latte, dressed in the same uniform as the other employees. "He works here?" Stokely hissed in a horrified manner, rubbing at her eyes in disbelief. Casey nodded, "At a coffee place?"  
  
Riva glanced between her two friends with a furrowed brow, "I do not understand. What's the big deal? He has a job as most humans do, does he not?"  
  
"Yeah, but he works here. Where they serve coffee and read and stuff." Casey replied stupidly. At that point, Zeke had spotted them and was hurriedly making his way towards them.  
  
He hadn't really wanted them to know he worked at this joint, but he didn't see any way around it. Besides, money was money, and money paid to fix broken cars into purring creatures. He had no reason to be embarrassed by the fact that the black baseball cap situated on his head had 'One World' embroidered on the front. Zeke sighed, this pep talk was not working and he had to get the latte to table six before the woman threw a fit. He motioned to Stokley then hurriedly dropped off the drink before making his way towards them.  
  
"Not a word," he snapped as he saw Casey about to make some, most likely, snide remark. The boy's mouth clamped shut with a small smirk that served the same purpose as if he had made his remark. Zeke shot him a glare that wiped any trace of the look from Casey face as he motioned to a corner, secluded and dimly lit. "Sit there, it's private and we can talk to them. I don't get a break for ten minutes, so if they get here, stall," Zeke hissed quickly, stealing a glance over his shoulder at a red haired woman eyeing him distastefully. Stokley nodded, beginning to lead the way when Zeke hurriedly added an odd, last command, "And drink whatever I bring to the table."  
  
Riva nodded agreeably, but her other companions exchanged confused looks; Stokely returned to making her way across the sea of tables to the one reserved for them. She eyed the tables with mild curiosity, each one different and strange, some painted with pictures or decorated in some artsy way. The chairs crowded around the tables were all mismatched, as if they had all been bought at various garage sales across the city. Casey looked pathetically interested in the place, his blue eyes wide as he soaked in their surroundings, Riva trailing quietly behind.  
  
The three choose seats at a long rectangular table with a disoriented picture of Earth on it, a large hand encompassing the planet as if catching a ball. Casey leaned over the table, "That's oddly appropriate. That's a human hand around Earth, isn't it?"  
  
Zeke sighed as he shook the whip cream bottle, sending a spray of the white cream all over the counter. A slight tremble had overtaken him, something that frustrated Zeke and scared him. He was putting Delilah's life on the line, hell; he was putting Earth on the line. If he was wrong, if this didn't work- no, it would work. He sighed again, glancing up to catch his manager eyeing him again. He forced a strained smile at her before snatching up the drink and bringing it to the waiting customer. Just as he was about to set the drink down, the bell above the door rang quietly at the entrance of three, seemingly, humans.  
  
The tremble in Zeke's hand worsened to outright shaking, spilling hot chocolate all over. "Phooey!" He snapped, grabbing a towel and cleaning up the mess while spewing out a steady stream of apologies to the customer. "Here, let me help," a soft voice offered as a pair of tanned, familiar, slender hands holding a napkin came into Zeke's view. Slowly he lifted his head to looking into Marian's taunting eyes, a playful sneer on her face as she eyed Zeke like prey.  
  
"I've got it, thanks," he replied lowly, taking the dirty napkin from Marian and stepped back from the table. She watched him with her eyes, always silently laughing at his jerking movements, at the perspiration gathered on his brow. Zeke tried to ignore her to no avail; it felt as if her eyes were burning holes into him, piercing hot holes. "I'll get you another drink," he said to the customer before turning to the Atlantian, "They're in the corner. I'll join you shortly."  
  
"I can't wait," Marian purred, motioning to Miss Levinson and Henry to follow her back to the corner.  
  
A.N.: Don't hate me, please! I'm so sorry for not updating this as I promised I would. As usual, life got a bit more hectic than scheduled. I'm just shocked at the number of reviews I've gotten in the last month. O.O Wow!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!! This is my longest fic I've written, and honestly, I've gotten quite involved with it and it thrills me to know you guys all like it too! I've even been told this should be made into a sequel, lol! I can't thank you enough, and beg you to bear with me and my long breaks between writing. I swear, it's going to get better and the end it very near. A lot will happen next chapter, so you won't want to miss it! 


	19. Great Timing

The Faculty II: The Last Invasion  
  
Great Timing  
  
The walkie-talkie burst to life, startling the three gathered around the oval table. Stokley scrambled for the walkie-talkie box as Stan's crackled voice filtered through, "They're here...coming in now...going to go check the car. . ." The girl pressed her ear desperately against the speaker, quickly relating the message back to her two companions before making a quick reply to her boyfriend, "Stan, please be careful!"  
  
"Will do. . .love you. . .good luck. . ."  
  
Stokley bit her lower lip as she lowered the walkie-talkie, staring at it as if it were Stan, wishing it were he. She had nearly caressed the side of the speaker when Casey's low whisper drew her attention to the entrance of the coffee shop. "They're here. What's Zeke doing? He just spilled that drink all over."  
  
Stokely stared at Zeke, at the way he stood rigidly before Marian; he was trembling. "He's scared," she said, looking at Casey. They exchanged silent looks. If Zeke was scared, then they should be terrified; and they were. Casey forced what he hoped to be a courageous smile, but it faltered as he caught sight of Riva. She was seated protectively between Stokely and himself, but she certainly didn't look as though she felt safe.  
  
Her skin had a definite blue tint to it, with sheen of sweat visible. Her mismatched eyes were glazed, her jaw tight; she looked in pain. Her breath was shallow, quick gasps that sounded loud in the silence. Before he realized what he was doing, Casey's hand reached around Riva's clenched one. Her skin was cool and clammy against human flesh, but her fingers slowly entwined themselves around Casey's fingers and he offered an encouraging squeeze.  
  
Stokely had been carefully watching the Atlantaian's exchange with Zeke before they turned and began to move towards them. "They're coming," she whispered to Casey and Riva, "you guys ready?" They each nodded quickly in response just as Marian arrived at the table. Her pretty face had a cruel air as she offered them each a sneering nod, touching the scar running down Casey's cheek, "My, my, that's quite a scar. And a cast on your arm? Little boys like yourself should be more careful with what they play with, or they might end of hurt."  
  
Casey jerked back, glaring, "I'm fine, thanks." Marian grinned at his outburst, lowering herself into a chair opposite Riva and Casey. Henry and Miss Levinson choose seats on either side of her, each with the same confident smirks on their faces. Stokes' hands trembled with want, eager to wipe the looks off their faces.  
  
"Feeling alright, Riva, dear? You don't look so well," Miss Levinson commented, as if remarking on the weather. The mentioned alien raised her heavy head; managing a glare despite the obvious pain she was in, "It's no use...I destroyed it."  
  
"Really? Because you seem to be having quite the struggle as it were."  
  
"It. . .it won't last long."  
  
"Don't be a fool, Riva. Just because Mary Beth can't control it doesn't mean its dead. We can pick up the connection just as easily."  
  
Casey butted in, "What are you talking about?" He shot Riva a puzzled expression, but she had already dropped her head again, eyes falling half shut. Miss Levinson took it upon herself to explain.  
  
"Didn't she tell you? There seems to be many things Riva failed to mention. She use to be a servant to Mary Beth, she was under her control. But when Mary Beth...passed on, the pod in her began to loose its connection. Foolish Riva, thinking that she was clever, dried it out until she was in complete control of herself. The only reason it worked was because there was no Atlantian close enough for an adequate connection; otherwise it would have never worked. But here we are, and the pod is beginning to take its previous position once again. It will only be so long until Riva is ours again, so might I warn you to be careful what you say in front of her," Miss Levinson leaned forward, speaking in a fake whisper, "She may start telling us your secrets."  
  
Casey jerked forward, so his face was close to the teachers, "Shut up! All you do is lie! Riva's fine, she'll get rid of that stupid pod again, no problem!" Stokely laid a restraining hand on the boy's shoulder, holding him back in his chair. She spoke softly, calming Casey but commanding the attention of all at the table, "We didn't come here to bicker over this stuff. We came here for a fair trade. Now let's get this business going, or we'll be going."  
  
Marian nodded approvingly, "Yes, the girl is right. Let's keep our temper in check over past disputes." She gave a pointed look to Miss Levinson, before turning her attention to Stokes. "Alright, we know each other demands. We get Mary Beth, you get Delilah."  
  
"Right, but the funny thing is, I don't see her here. No deal without Delilah." "Yeah and how do we know you didn't hurt her?" Casey snarled accusingly. Henry shifted in his seat, reaching into his leather coat pocket, withdrawing a folded photo. He carefully, deliberately, unfolded the picture, laying it on the middle of the table for all to see. "As you see, she's perfectly fine. And the date on the bottom is today," Marian said simply, sliding the picture closer to the human side. The picture was nearly identical to the one they had seen previously of the girl; only she looks worse for the wear. Her hair was tangled and matted; her eyes had large black circles beneath them. Her cheeks were tear-stained and the same gag was taped over her mouth.  
  
"The date is easily altered—"  
  
"Casey!" Stokely reprimanded the boy, with a quick glare. "This picture isn't enough proof for us. If you want Mary Beth, we have to see Delilah."  
  
"Well, in that case, how do we know you have what we want?"  
  
There was a long pause as Marian and Stokely silently stared at one another, two statues unwilling to look away first. The tension was in the air, thick as smoke, and it was cutting off the air as well. Riva's grip in Casey's hand was sweaty and weak now, her fingers slipping away. The boy shot her a look from the corner of his eyes, feeling helpless to help her. It was Riva's battle, and only she could win in.  
  
Miss Levinson eyed Riva as well, concentrated solely on her instead of the exchange going on. Casey was convinced it was her trying to revive the pod creature in Riva's head, there had to be something he could do! The boy kicked his leg out under the table, proud to feel that he had made contact with something under the table.  
  
Henry grunted loudly as the foot kicked him soundly in the chair, and his eyes bulged menacingly. Casey turned a shade paler as he realized his mistake to late. He threw himself backwards in the chair at the same time Henry lunged from his. The chair clattered to the floor along with Casey while Henry's arms reached for empty air. The boy rolled to the side, glad that he had not landed on his cast, but barely having time to catch his breath before Henry was reaching under the table for his ankle.  
  
Stokely and Marian were both on their feet, shouting at them to stop fighting, but neither of them listened. Casey kicked out again, trying to pry his leg free from the alien's iron grip even as he began to drag the boy closer. Casey began to use his cast for a weapon, whacking Henry's head with it, but only seeming to aggravate him all the more. Just as it seemed a fight would ensue, including all members at the table, Zeke appeared.  
  
"Coffee anyone?"  
  
Silence fell over the little crowd as all eyes turned to survey Zeke in his One World cap, a tray filled with mugs balanced on one arm. Stokely sighed, muttering under her breath, "Talk about great timing."  
  
A.N: All I seem to do on this author's note section is apologize to you guys. And here I go again! It's been so long since I've updated this, and I'm on my knees begging to your forgiveness! I hope you guys haven't lost interest in this story because its taking me so long to write. I swear, the end is in sight! No one has posted any question concerning the plot yet. Does that mean this story is perfect? (Ha, I wish!) Anyway, I've started working bit by bit on my other fanfics, and hope to update them as well. Plus, I'd like to start a Secret Window fic soon...*sigh* Far to busy. Far, far to busy. Anyway, as always, muchas gracias for the reviews!! 


	20. Somebody Moved

Someone Moved  
  
It took several moments before the group was reseated around the table once more, eyes flashing with more anger than before. Henry and Casey were put on opposite ends of the table where they could shoot their threatening glances at one another but not act on them as easily. Riva remained where she was, having not moved during the whole ordeal except for flinching and trembling.  
  
Zeke waited until everyone was under control before he set down his tray filled with large mugs brimming with java. "Anymore fights like that," he said with deliberate looks at Henry and Casey, "and my boss will throw you guys all out and all deals will be off." He gave the group a stare that dared anyone to object to his demand, but they all remained silent.  
  
"Everyone grab a cup. Start drinking it, or my manager will be pissed. She already is about the fight." He began to hand the brightly colored mugs around, before taking a seat in-between the Atlantians and humans. The Atlantians all eyed their drinks apprehensively before Marian finally asked, "What is that stuff?"  
  
"Coffee. Java. Elixir of caffeine. It's a popular human drink," he replied nonchalantly, taking a gulp of the brew, "made out of mostly water." Marian narrowed her eyes suspiciously, "Did you do something to the drinks?"  
  
Zeke rolled his eyes in reply, taking the mug from her and taking a taste from it. "See? Nothing wrong with me. Cheers."  
  
Zeke gave a hard look at his human companions, silently ordering them to drink from their glasses as well to ease the mind of the aliens. Stokely and Casey exchanged uncertain looks, was this Zeke's brilliant plan? Make them all hyper on coffee? "Cheers," Casey murmured, clinking his mug against Stoke's. They both lifted the drinks and took several sips. The warm liquid did have somewhat of a calming effect on the two, and the caffeine would heighten their senses somewhat.  
  
"Riva, drink up," Zeke called to the other alien. Riva lifted her head wearily, her face contorted in pain from the struggle. Casey's eyes shot over to Miss Levinson's accusingly. "Come on," he prodded, pressing the warm cup in the girl's hand, "drink some."  
  
Riva made no attempt against it, resigning to defeat as she took a long drink from it. She grimaced from the bitter taste, pushing the cup quickly away. Marian leaned forward, carefully observing the other alien's reaction. Riva dropped her head once more, returning to her trance and battle against the creature in her head. Zeke glanced sideways at the Atlantians, "It's getting cold."  
  
Why did he care if they drank the stupid java? Casey mused. They had more important things to worry about, like getting Delilah back. At last, Marian raised her cup hesitantly, staring into the brown liquid before taking a small sip. Miss Levinson recoiled uncertainly from her companion as if she expected her to explode, but no such thing happened. "It tastes," she paused, taking another swallow, "good."  
  
After that, the other two Atlantians followed suit, drinking at their own mugs. They gulped the stuff down rapidly after the first taste, as if they couldn't get more. Zeke left the table momentarily to retrieve a fresh pot of joe and refilled all the cups, but no longer gave Stokes and Casey the same looks to keep drinking. He returned then and sat at the table, more at ease then before, but no one seemed to notice his slight change in demeanor besides Stokely.  
  
"Alright, let's get focused again. Where is Delilah? Let's make this a clean, easy trade, shall we?" Zeke said as he eyed his enemy. Marian glanced coldly at him, setting her cup down as Miss Levinson and Henry continued to drink. "Where's Mary Beth?"  
  
Zeke nodded to Casey who hesitated before withdrawing the glass tube from his pocket, clutching it tightly in his hand as he raised it up for them to see. Marian's eyes softened suddenly as she surveyed the pod, one had reaching for it as she began to make a strange clicking noise. Casey glanced uncertainly at Zeke, pulling his hand away before Marian could reach it.  
  
Marian turned to Henry then, and continued to make the same odd noises. "They're talking to one another," Casey accused worriedly, while looking at his human companions. Zeke had sat up as well, no longer at ease as he exchanged glances with Stokely. He tensed, what where they saying? What where they planning?  
  
Riva's head shot up then, "No!" Her eyes shone brilliantly, her face no longer pale but alive and strong. Casey stared at her in shock from the sudden transformation that had overcome Riva, pleasantly surprised. Miss Levinson, though, did not look quite so pleased.  
  
"They're planning an attack," Riva snarled while glaring at Marian who returned the look. In an instant, everyone was on their feet. No one moved, no one even dared breath. Stokely glanced around the table, at the faces filled with rage and accusation, eager for any movement, any excuse to attack. Then someone moved.  
  
A.N.: Gah! This chapter is so short, and I'm so sorry! If you hate me, I don't blame you. If you don't want me to even bother continuing this story, I don't blame you. If you don't review, I don't blame you! I'm a horrible person for not writing longer chapters or updating! _sob_ I've been gone at a special honors program for professional writing, trying to better myself (and writing) for you guys, but what's the point if I don't even update?! _Sigh_ I'm sorry......sorry......sorry.....um....ok....I'll stop now..... 


	21. Freedom, Death, and a Beginning

The Faculty II: The Last Invasion

Freedom, Death, and a Beginning

It was Zeke, slamming his fist against the table. "Everybody sit down!" He growled at the group, meeting each ones eyes in turn before shooting a worried glance towards his manager. She wasn't happy in the least, shooting her employee nasty looks. Great, there went that job. "No talking, English or otherwise," he snarled under his breath.

Silence fell over the table of aliens and humans and all eyes fixated on the boy. Stokely was the first one to sink into her chair, followed by Casey, Riva and the three Atlantians. Riva's face had contorted back into concentration, as had Miss Levinson's, their eyes shooting fire at one another. Henry, Casey noted, had turned pale. Had he hurt the alien, he wondered with a smug grin.

The tension was now to an extreme high, Stokely felt it thick in the air, almost as if she would gag on it. No one dared speak; no one dared be the first to budge. Casey still gripped their first nemesis in his fist, looking ready to crack the glass beaker as a moments notice. Something was happening between Riva and Miss Levinson, the pod in Riva's head, was it regaining control?

It had seemed Miss Levinson had been winning the battle, but Stokes wasn't sure on that subject anymore. She seemed distracted, almost worried, instead of the confidant aura she had before. Riva, on the other hand, was gaining back her color and her hands had stopped trembling. Silently, the girl cheered her alien friend on.

Zeke, though, looked worse for the wear. He still had several prominent bruises from the thrashing Marian had previously given him, and they seemed to stand out on his concerned face. He offered her a flash of a smile before immediately sobering and leaning his elbows on his table. His eyes continued to glance down to the watch around his wrist, Stokely wondered if his break would soon be over. He couldn't leave, they needed him, and he could handle them all. Though it looked like he couldn't handle much more.

Then it happened, the turning point of the battle, the battle that would decide the fate of earth. It was a sequence of events, one right after another, a blur of happenings. Henry turned exceptionally pale, as had the other Atlantians. He stood up, despite Zeke's objections, and began to reach for Casey's throat. Before anyone could react, he collapsed to the floor with a thud. The blue-eyed boy was to his feet, staring down at the alien unconscious on the ground. The man began to shake, foam appearing around the corners of his mouth.

Miss Levinson leapt to her companion's aid, kneeling beside him and calling his name. The distraction was all Riva needed for victory in the battle between the two, and she cried out triumphantly. Gray ooze seeped from Riva's ear, which quickly dried and flaked away. She threw her arms around Casey's neck, her face exuberant with joy, "I'm free, I'm free!"

Miss Levinson glanced sharply up at the girl's happy cries, eyes narrowed. She stood slowly, moving towards Riva. Casey immediately planted himself between them, but it was not needed as the former teacher dropped to her knees. "Water," she wheezed, glancing towards the only, seemingly healthy, Atlantian.

Marian's eyes were wide, wild with rage and shock. She snatched Stokely suddenly, ignoring the teen's angry demands to be let loose, and the trashing the human put up. "Get her water now," she roared to Zeke, her arm twisting into a tentacle dripping with green, "Or I'll kill her!"

"Alright," he said, surprisingly calm which only alarmed Stokely all the more. "I'll get it, just calm down." He went quickly, but evenly, behind the coffee bar. Stokely could make out his manager chewing him out, but he calmed her with his infamous smile and some soothing words before returning with two glasses of water. Marian snatched away the cup, shoving Stokely into Zeke and pressing the water to Miss Levinson.

Zeke, after putting a scared Stokely into one of the chairs, motioned for Casey and Riva to stand closer to him. They crowded together, an odd group standing for earth, the only thing between humanity's freedom or enslavement to the Atlantians.

Miss Levinson guzzled the glass of water, much of it landing on her face in her rush to swallow the Atlantian elixir. Marian licked her lips, eyeing the water as if she also desired to drink it, but something held her back. Perhaps it was the fact that Miss Levinson's skin was smoldering where the water had come into contact with it. The Atlantian screeched in pain, vainly attempting to wipe away the liquid, but already it had begun to take affect.

Miss Levinson fell to the ground, her human disguise thrashing about on the floor, her screams echoing in their corner of the café. She went still, turning white, her skin flaking. Marian didn't move the whole ordeal, watching in transfixed horror as her two companions withered away before her.

"So, where is Delilah? Maybe if you're real nice about it, I'll let you have this glass of water so you don't have to suffer as much as those two," Zeke commented with a wide sneer. Marian turned her eyes to the boy, her face enraged at the same time fear seeping into the lines on her face. "You'll pay," she hissed, "you'll pay dearly for this."

Zeke didn't get a chance to comment before the remaining Atlantian bolted. Zeke's manager was approaching them with worried anger flashing in her eyes, but was rudely shoved aside as Marian whizzed by. Zeke immediately pursued, followed closely by Casey, while Stokely uttered nervously, "Stan!"

She scrambled to retrieve the walkie-talkie from her pocket, yelling into it, "Stan! Stan! Marian just ran out of here, be careful!" Static replied for several moments when the football player's tired voice crackled, "What? Oh, wait, she's escaping? Hey isn't that...what it the heck? Get out! No, hey—"

His voice was cut off, and then the static ended as well. Stokely's eyes went wide, "No! Stan? Stan!" Riva glanced at her companion; the two of them rushed out after the boys, managing to knock down the quite-upset manager once more. As they burst into the alleyway parking lot, the Jeep Cherokee was already squealing out of the parking lot. Stokely stood dumbfounded, her eyes starting to tear, as she knew it couldn't be Stan driving like that.

Moments later another car came to a screeching stop beside them. "Get it," Zeke ordered, Casey pushing open the passenger side door. The two girls piled in, and the chase was on.

A.N: grovels on the ground for forgiveness It's been SO long and I'm SO sorry! This is my senior year, and its nuts! I'm in AP English, which means I don't get any "me" time which means I don't get any writing time. Honestly, this is the big kick off to the winding up of this story. It's all down (or up) hill from here! Have hope, my dear readers, there is light at the end of the tunnel!

P.S. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE REVIEWS!


	22. Gas Problems

The Faculty II: The Last Invasion

Gas Problems

The sleepy silence that usually hung over the Ohio town in the late morning was shattered by the noise of two revving engines. A Jeep Cherokee screeched through the streets, chased closely by a wounded GTO that sputtered and wheezed as it attempted to keep up. The occupants of the Jeep was a blonde haired girl, perhaps twenty years of age, clutching the steering wheel, a boy slumped against the window in the passenger side. The smaller car, however, was crammed full of four teenagers, two boys and two girls in the backseat.

"Hurry Zeke, she'll get away!" Stokely cried, ignoring Riva's attempts to soothe her. Zeke gritted his teeth together in annoyance as his eyes darted down towards the gas gauge which was bordering on empty. He threw the car into a sharp right, his car whining in protest, and entered one of the busiest streets in town. Several curses flew from his mouth as he saw cars swerving and dodging out of his way, while also trying to avoid being hit by the Jeep in front of him.

Zeke's eyes flashed as he pressed his foot against the gas pedal, flooring it and hearing his engine roar in response. His reflexes kicked in, keeping them alive as he narrowly avoided collisions. "She's heading towards the interstate," he growled to Casey, who was seated tensely beside him.

"You're nearly out of gas," the other replied nervously.

"I can't just give up. She has Stan and Delilah, she's not getting away with it."

Riva's terrified squeal interrupted them, "Look out!" Zeke cranked the steering wheel to the side seconds before his car would have been side swept by a honking semi. His car careened out of control from the quick movements, the driver wrestling desperately to regain control of the car before it could inflict more damage.

Casey's eyes scanned the street in horror, his attention having been diverted by the death that he narrowly escaped, realizing that Marian had vanished in those few moments. It turned out the Atlantian was an excellent driver. The realization soon dawned on the others, which was evident by Stokely's wail and Zeke's string of curses. Growling audibly, the ex-druggie slammed his fist against the steering wheel, ignoring the sharp pain in inflicted in his now throbbing knuckles.

"She got away! That freaking, little b—" Zeke's rant was silenced by a look from Casey, who was quietly motioning toward the distressed Stokes. Riva had put her arm around the girl, but she was beyond comfort at the thought of her boyfriend now at the mercies of their enemy. Zeke and Casey were at a loss of what to say or do, both completely frustrated by the helplessness they felt, the lack of control.

Before any words of great wisdom or advice could be spoken, a light flashed on Zeke's control panel followed by a loud ding. The driver didn't have to look to know he was out of gas. He idly scanned the surrounding area and spotted a gas station only around the corner. Wordlessly, he twisted around in his seat and drove the defeated vehicle to the station.

As the gas began to drain into the empty tank, Zeke was free to vent his anger and frustration out on his hubcaps. This was done with his foot and much howling, though not just from the pain he was inflicting upon himself. Through the windows, he could see Stokely sobbing hysterically despite the desperate attempts by Casey and Riva to calm her. The girl was hunched over, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably, black rivers of mascara flowing down her cheeks. Several moments later, Riva immerged looking far worse for the wear.

She had obtained freedom for less than an hour, yet hadn't spent a moment of it in celebration. Of course, the situation hardly called for a party, but Zeke still wondered if the alien has managed to feel any joy over the concrete ending of her enslavement. Riva, feeling the other's eyes upon her, offered some explanation as to why she had escaped the car, "I'm going to buy a water. Stokely has nearly cried all of hers away." Zeke only grunted and offered a slight nod, his attention being drawn to the pump as it was nearly finished.

The alien began to make her ways towards the run down shack that constituted as the "food mart." She wove between the few gas stations, when a car came to a screeching halt only feet from her. The alien's eyes were wide with fear as she eyed the driver that had nearly taken her life; the driver stared back with clouded eyes. "You alright?" Zeke called from his spot, having heard the tires squeal to a stop as well as the frightened noise that had emitted from Riva.

"Yes, I am fine," the alien girl called weakly back as she began to regain her composure. She shot another glance at the vehicle and driver, refocused once more on her mission to get the distressed Stokley more liquid, when the license plate of the car that had nearly killed her caught her line of vision. It was an out of state plate, reading CRZE DRVR which seemed quite appropriate. The girl shook her head, shaking it clear as she aimed once more towards the shack-like pay station.

It wasn't until she had already paid for the water bottle and was returning to the group of dejected teens that it snapped in place. "I know!" she cried, racing towards Zeke who was leaning against the dented hood with a scowl fixed firmly on his face. He quirked an eyebrow in her direction, "Know what?"

"I know how we will save Stan! I know where Marian will go!"

A.N.: I'm suppose to be in bed fast asleep, but how could I sleep with the guilt of knowing I haven't updated this story in four months? I honestly can't believe you guys are still so loving and loyal enough to actually review! Peh, if I were in your shoes, I would have given up on me a long time ago. O.o I hope I'm not giving anyone ideas. I have no idea when I will get a chance to update again. I leave for a ministry trip in Russia in less then a month, school is crazy, and I've recently started a writing club. I love this story so much, and I'm so close to the end, but time is against me! I'm truly sorry and ashamed at how long this is taking me. I'm ever grateful to all of you who are so faithful on reviewing this. Thanks so much!


	23. Sir Casey

The Faculty II: The Last Invasion

Sir Casey

Night was supposed to be peaceful, serene and comforting. Somehow, the stars twinkling against the backdrop of vast space seemed lonely and cold. No, not lonely. Some of those stars were plants and on those planets, there were others. Others like Mary Beth, others like Riva. How many more others existed and lived oblivious to the insignificant humans going about their lives?

Casey sighed and turned his eyes away from the window to look at the back seat. Stokley had finally cried herself to sleep and was now curled up on her share of the chair, forehead resting against the side. Riva was asleep as well, her neck craned back against the headrest. Through the thick layer of eye shadow, Casey could just make out the nearly translucent, aqua eyelids.

He resituated himself in his seat to glance sideways at Zeke. He had a dull expression on his face, resting his wrist on the steering wheel and barely watching the road. "Getting tired?" Casey asked with a touch of concern, his eyes moving to the dashboard's clock. The older boy had been driving for four hours now, and he certainly looked tired.

Zeke grunted and tore his eyes away from the long stretch of endless highway. "Nope, I'm fine." He jammed his chin in the direction of the cup holder containing two emptied paper cups. "Twenty-four ounces of that gas station crap coffee will keep me going for awhile. Go ahead and catch some Z's, when you wake up, we can switch."

Casey nodded slowly, turning in his seat to stare once more out of the passenger window. He doubted he could sleep, though his body felt exhausted. Or rather, he felt mentally exhausted after this unbearably long day. It had started out with the plan to trade Mary Beth for Delilah, then Miss Levinson and Henry had been killed and here they were, at the close of the day, driving to Illinois.

Casey could still hardly believe that Zeke's plan had worked. When they had been on the road for over an hour, the question had occurred to Stokely what it was that killed the two Atlantians. The older male had laughed and explained that he had given them straight coffee, simply using a small amount of water to create the drink. He'd only received a round of blank stares in return.

"Coffee is naturally a dehydrator," he had informed them, "I added some espresso shots, too. Then, I added some scat to the water to be extra sure." Casey still found it ironic that America's favorite drink had been the demise of the race that had hoped to enslave them. He also found it humorous, though he didn't laugh. Besides stunting growth, apparently coffee demised hostile alien races. He'd stick to drinking soda.

Stokely had fallen asleep after only two hours of driving, her worry for Stan driving her to the utter brink of exhaustion. Her sleep was restless for she often murmured worriedly and shifted continually to different positions. None of her companions could blame her for her worry. Having Stan in Marian's clutches nagged at each of them, but especially Zeke for he knew her cruelness best.

Riva had remained mostly silent for the ride, staring out of the window with her miscolored eyes. It was until Zeke had wanted an answer to the question that had bugged him since the start of their road trip. How did she know where Marian would be taking Stan? Riva looked up, an almost guilty look on her face, before launching into her story.

Riva was not the only Littoral to escape the enslavement of the Atlantians, there had been one other. His name was Hydo, and in terms of Earth time, he was several years older than Riva. "He was a close friend of mine," Riva said with a sad smile, "but he couldn't stand being under control of the Atlantians anymore." He'd made plans to escape, though the punishment is a torturous death, and put them into motion. Riva sighed, "It's where Marybeth got the idea to come to Earth. That's where Hydo decided to escape to. With such primitive technology, it would be difficult to trace him here."

Zeke quirked an eyebrow, "Our technology isn't that primitive."

Riva simply laughed.

Marybeth had sensed Hydo's presence when she arrived, and gone to meet him. She left him be for he had adjusted well to human life and vowed not to interfere in her invasion of the planet as long as he still retained his freedom. Upon going through Marybeth's records, Riva had stumbled across the entry detailing the Atlantian's visit to Hydo, including his address at the time. Riva guessed that Marian had bullied Hydo into helping them out in their rescue attempt for Marybeth, or that they'd simply reactivated the slug in his mind.

Thus, armed with a handful of skat pens and directions from map quest, they had headed out to save the world again. Casey found it a bit redundant, and not to mention annoying. It was his senior year of high school; this was supposed to be the best year free of worry or stress. A year to sail through the academics well enough to get into a decent college. But no, he and a handful of teenagers were the unlikely heroes of Earth and ridiculed for their claims.

Casey blew air from his mouth, shifting the bangs from his gaze. He needed to get some rest; his mind and body needed the sleep to prepare for the battle ahead. He felt as though he needed a week's worth of pure relaxation, and yet he couldn't get himself to even take a few hours of rest. His mind was awake, churning and worrying. What if Marian had already killed Stan? Would they be able to win Earth's freedom again? And what about Delilah? She'd been the bargaining chip. Would she pay a price for the deal going south?

Despite the way she treated him like dirt, he worried for her. Even though Stokes told him that she was getting exactly what she deserved, a part of him wanted to be her rescuer, the knight in shining armor. Resting his chin on the cast wrapped around his forearm, he thought he certainly didn't look the part of a hero.

He forced his eyes closed, blocking out the view of cornfields flashing by and endless interstate. Sleep. Forget Delilah. Forget Marian. Forget everything and just sleep. Casey found his mind beginning to cloud as the exhaustion finally won over, and his last thought was Delilah racing to his arms, calling him Sir Casey. He slept with a smile on his face.

A.N.: I last updated this in Febuary. I'm so so so sorry. The bad news: I'm starting college in less than a week and it will be insane. I don't know when I'll get a chance to write, though I am going to be a writing major. The good news: I just saved a bunch of money on my car insurance. (Had to throw that one in) I'd say there's probably going to be three, maybe four, more chapters until the end. Whoot!


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